Emotional Intelligence (EQ) more important than IQ?

Added Friday 26.06.2009

I have never been a huge fan of IQ tests, yes funny considering all the IQ tests on this website, but I've only ever considered the tests themselves as very subjective. Take them for a bit of fun, but never take them too seriously. If you score well then great, but if you score low then its no big deal. There are thousands of IQ tests out there, some are based on general knowledge, some are based on pattern recognition or math problems.

The problem is that the questions selected for a particular IQ test doesn't truly reflect a person's real IQ but how well people can do those sets of questions on that particular test. Some people are going to be more suited to some tests than others, as some people will be more familiar with the certain topics. So a person that is very familiar with solving mathematical equations should do better than a person not so familiar with mathematical equations, but the same person could have a lower estimated IQ when doing a IQ test based more on general knowledge. So, you can see why I don't see them as more than just a little fun? The solution is to ask as many questions as possible ranging from as diverse range of topics as possible. These tests would no longer be practical as the number of questions we need to get any reasonably accurate IQ figure would take too long. The perfect IQ test would have to have an infinite number of questions, sadly, most of us get bored when we reach the first 50 questions!

So what about Emotional Intelligence (or Emotional Quotient , E.Q.)? Well, after the craze of IQ tests people are starting to get on the band wagon of EQ tests. The study of EQ or Emotional Intelligence is still not quite defined and explored as much as traditional raw intelligence and their corresponding tests. It essentially revolves around how we deal with our own emotions and how we react to the emotions of others. The basis being that you can be an extremely intelligent person or have a very high IQ but if you can't put it into practice then there's not much point having such a huge melon! A good example for any of you that has seen the BBC TV show "Million Dollar Traders" may remember one of the contestants, Cleo. Apparently a very bright person, but is emotional crippled every time she has to make a decision trading on the stock market and can not handle the pressure.

There are also more and more terms starting to pop up - SQ (Social or Spiritual Intelligence), and FQ (Financial Intelligence), but that's another story. The point is there are different types of intelligence, some easier to measure than others. Take a look at the picture below:

Doesn't a picture tell a thousand words! This is basically suggesting that there is a lot more below the surface, or a lot more to how a person can perform than just their obvious intelligence level. I like to think that this is true not only for Emotional Intelligence (EQ) but a whole range of other types of intelligence. As they say, don't judge a book by it's cover! If we think about it, emotions are a very powerful thing. Emotions can motivate us or motivate others, driving people through good leadership not just good management. Somebody once asked me when I was young "What is the difference between a good manager and a good leader?" Think about it. What do you think is more important?

How do we measure Emotional Intelligence? With IQ the fundamental process is relatively easy. Measure people's emotions and reactions are a lot harder. We can say how we think we will react to a particular situation, but how do we know until it comes down to crunch time? This gets me thinking about dear old mum (no, you aren't really that old mum ). My mum, a nurse, has been a nurse since the age of 16. When she started nursing she went to nursing school where most of her training was first hand, on the job training. After a while the training weeds out who is made for the job and who is not. My mum is still nursing. Nowadays, people go to university, get a degree (or several), rock up at an employer, and proceed to apply for a managing position (without any prior job experience!). Um, this doesn't always get the best result! What looks good on paper doesn't always translate to practice, and people having the ability to adapt when the situation arises. How many very successful people do you know of that never completed high school or university? Richard Branson, Warren Buffett, Bill Gates. Some people that don't go on university or quit school early often go on to experience the world in many different ways that a lot of people don't get a chance to do while still studying. These people are often well 'rounded' emotional (ok, I don't know about Bill Gates, he does seem a bit strange!).

Also, when did we stop using the word 'mature' so much? Isn't being 'mentally mature' just how we handle our emotions? Ok, never mind about the labels. Either way, its a good idea when looking to employ somebody that we get a well rounded person. If a person is really, really good at doing one particular thing and only one thing, then they're not much use for anything else. They become a tool - useful for doing one task, but we must use other tools if we want to complete the job. Nobody likes a tool, unless... we have a swiss army knife! The truth is simply the best person for the job can not be measured by any one of their individual skills or talents.

email us
Copyright 2010, Roaming Studio Pty Ltd, All rights reserved.