If you aspire to be a great leader in your company, you must have the proper intelligence quotient and emotional intelligence.

A great leader knows how to rationalise and solve problems reasonably. They know how to act when needed or hold back to play it safe. They have mastered the ins and outs of their job, and know the hard skills needed to complete a task. These are signs of intelligence.

Measuring a person’s intelligence is done through the intelligence quotient or IQ. It is the total score derived from a series of standardized tests which are designed to evaluate human intelligence.

A person’s IQ is vital in the workplace because it sets the tone for what the company will achieve. Intelligence quotient helps shape leaders who are task-oriented and can get things done correctly. 

While intelligence quotient is important in dealing with issues in the company, a leader with an IQ score that is too high might negatively affect their leadership. Furthermore, having a high IQ is not the only measurement of great leadership. What comes side by side with intelligence quotient is something we call emotional intelligence.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient, is a person’s ability to handle their emotions and their relationships with others. It is a person’s ability to recognise and influence the emotions of other people. Whereas intelligence quotient uses rationalisation to solve problems, emotional intelligence uses emotional understanding to find solutions, make decisions, and communicate with others. Emotional intelligence includes perceiving, reasoning, understanding, and managing emotions.

Why emotional intelligence is key to a successful career

Having high emotional intelligence can help you become a great leader in the workplace. This is because emotional intelligence influences how well managers interact with their colleagues. Emotional intelligence is known to have a critical role in how a manager would handle stress and conflict. It also affects the team’s overall job performance.

The impact of high emotional intelligence does not only apply to CEOs or managers. It’s also a very vital quality for every person’s career, from students looking at internships to seasoned employees applying for a leadership position. Emotional intelligence is important in the workplace because it helps improve communication, problem-solving, management, and relationships within the workplace.

People with high emotional intelligence exhibit the following signs:

1. Are graceful under pressure

2. Resolve conflicts

3. Make better decisions to solve problems

4. Emphatise better

5. Listen, respond, and reflect on constructive criticism

People with low emotional intelligence exhibit the following signs:

1. Avoid taking responsibility for errors

2. Play the role of victim

3. Are passive-aggressive

4. Refuse to cooperate

5. Dismiss other people’s opinions

How to develop better emotional intelligence

Having emotional intelligence is a skill that researchers believe can be learned with improved training and practice. For some, it may come naturally, but it can still be done by anyone. This is important in the workplace because business decisions and relationships depend on interpersonal understanding, communication, and teamwork.

You may develop high emotional intelligence by practising the following things:

1. Become more self-aware. Pay attention to how you are feeling.

2. Practise emotional self-regulation. Find techniques to lessen workplace stress.

3. Improve your social skills. Listen attentively to what other people have to say.

4. Empathise with others. Try to see everything from another person’s point of view.

5. Work on what motivates you. Focus on what you love about your work, especially the ones that you enjoy.

Your intelligence quotient and hard skills are necessary to achieve goals for your team, but so is emotional intelligence. It can be learned over time through proper training and practice.