Important as technical knowledge is to the modern workplace, it isn’t enough to guarantee success.  Today’s workplaces rely on teams spread across increasing distances to get their projects completed.  Individuals who work in and manage teams well excel over those who withdraw from their colleagues.  The skills that help workers succeed in a collaborative environment all fit under one label: emotional intelligence or EQ.

Where Did EQ Come From?

What defines emotional intelligence?  When the term was first introduced in a 1990 research paper by John D. Mayer and Peter Salovey, they identified 3 components to EQ: emotional perception, understanding of emotional signals with regard to relationships, and emotional management.  Today, these components have expanded into 5, keeping the spirit of the original definition while making it easier to conceptualize.  The new set of tools in the emotional intelligence shed are self awareness, self regulation, empathy, social skills, and motivation.  In essence, people with high emotional intelligence understand their own emotions and are able to relate to the emotions of others in a healthy manner.

The impact EQ has on professional success has been confirmed by several research studies.  Those with high emotional success are more likely to embrace cross-cultural experiences, enjoy greater job satisfaction, remain with the same company longer, and earn promotions and salary increases.  A single point increase in one’s emotional intelligence quotient brings up to $1,300 in additional annual income.  In a 2021 study of workers in Spain, EQ predicted salary better than either age or gender could.

EQ in Leadership

For those pursuing leadership, EQ is even more important.  Emotional intelligence is linked to up to 60% of performance metrics used to evaluate supervisors and executives.  Employee engagement factors like turnover and productivity are impacted by the emotional climate of a workplace.  An emotionally intelligent manager prevents stress from becoming overwhelming for workers and ensures interpersonal conflicts are either averted or resolved in a swift manner.  As a result, emotionally intelligent leaders are 7x as likely to have high performance outcomes.  In client facing or service industries like hotels and restaurants, these managers double as the cultivators of guest/customer satisfaction.

As is the case with conventional intelligence, some people do possess an advantage in emotional intelligence.  There exist people who are naturally more social or empathetic than others.  For individuals to whom emotional intelligence does not come naturally, this fact can be frustrating.  Don’t fear; emotional intelligence is a set of skills that can be learned by anyone.  The 2 most important steps to growing your emotional intelligence are 1) understand your feelings and 2) monitor your reactions.  Once you know how to identify your emotions in times of stress, understand how emotion impacts your reactions, and work to channel your emotions into an appropriate response, you can help others do the same with their own feelings.  

Self-reflection is difficult.  Mentors and/or daily journals can help you practice your emotional skills in a results-oriented manner.  Lots of people are smart, but without EQ, most don’t succeed.