Emotional Intelligence is More Important than Intelligence

Conventional methods have it that your success at work, academics and in life is directly proportional to your IQ. Take a look at the education system we have; not just in India but around the world. The GPA system grades and compares students and the one with higher grades is considered more abled in academic terms. They are looked up be the successful ones and are anticipated to bag the best jobs in and out of the campus. Even most of the colleges around the world rely on a good SAT or ACT exam which are just tests to gauge a person’s mathematics and reading comprehension skills.

The Carnegie Institute of Technology carried out research that showed that 85% of our financial success was due to skills in “human engineering”, personality, and ability to communicate, negotiate, and lead. They found that only 15% was due to technical ability. Which means people skills are more important than technical and functional skills. According to Nobel Prize winning Israeli-American psychologist Daniel Kahneman people are more likely to do business with people they trust- which is an attribute of emotional intelligence than with someone who is offering the same product for lesser price.

In simple words, Emotional Intelligence means Self-Awareness, Self- Motivation, Self-Management, Empathy and Social skills that build relationships and resolves conflicts effectively.

If you think that emotional intelligence is something which is required by people who are in a job where they interact and face the customer directly, then think again. Here are few reasons why an emotional intelligence is far more important than intelligence to lead a balanced life.

1. Higher rates of success with EQ:

Its often stated that ‘IQ can land you a job, but your lack of EQ can get you fired.’ Your intelligence accounts for only 20%of success in your life. Emotional intelligence makes one a better self-motivator which in turn aids in reducing procrastination, focus effectively with long term vision of success, increase self-confidence and assists in creating better networks which goes a long way to determine your success.

2. Maintain Better Physical Health:

Overall wellness of the body is directly tied to emotional intelligence. It has been estimated that ‘well over 80% of our health problems are stress-related.’ Once you start understanding your feelings, stress and emotions, you know how to tackle them and lead a healthy life- physically and mentally.

3. Better Mental Health:

Higher emotional intelligence means you very well understand your emotional state and needs. A better mental health defines a better outlook to life and reduces stress and depression.

4. Better Relationships:

Emotional intelligence helps you to not just understand your emotions and emotional needs but also that of others. Relationships are based on understanding and the better you understand the emotions of the person opposite to you, the better is your act. Not just personal relationships but also at work. It lets you create better networks which increases your chances of being identified and picked up for opportunities directly translating to success and also acts as a great tool to resolve conflicts. The power of negotiation which comes from a sound emotional intelligence is a very important skill required to survive in today’s world.

5. Better leader:

According to an article published by FastCompany- ‘International search firm Egon Zehnder International analysed 515 senior executives and discovered that those who were strongest in emotional intelligence were more likely to succeed than those strongest in either IQ or relevant previous experience.’ An emotionally intelligent leader understands the pulse of the team and what motivates them and targets the action to yield higher productivity with higher quality with optimum utilisation of the available resources. An Emotionally strong leader can build a strong team by using the emotional diversity of the team and channelizing the same to benefit all.

While there are various tools and machines that can give us the desired output, emotional intelligence helps in making that output sustained and consistent. Emotional intelligence can be learnt throughout the lifetime and helps maintain a balance in our personal and professional lives.