Not long ago, I completed a wonderful journey with a director of a large corporation. He is a good manager, very intelligent, has his figures in order, and the Board of Directors is also satisfied. And yet, something was amiss… From time to time, there was some friction between him and the members of his management team. He found it difficult to handle feedback, and his team members didn’t always feel listened to. He asked me about the cause so he could improve himself.
We decided to map out his Emotional Intelligence (EQ) because I suspected that was where the issue lay. I have a beautiful assessment instrument to map out Emotional Intelligence, and thus we got confirmation that there are great opportunities for developing his EQ. Because EQ is the key to success.
Why is EQ important?
It hasn’t been long known that EQ (Emotional Quotient) is one of the most important predictors of business success and performance. The key to success. Research has shown that successful leaders and employees possess a highly developed emotional intelligence.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman has researched this and written several books, including the bestseller “Emotional Intelligence, why it can matter more than IQ.”
What is Emotional Intelligence?
According to Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence is:
“The abilities to recognize your own feelings and those of others, to motivate yourself, and to manage emotions well in yourself and in your relationships.”
Unlike IQ (Intellectual Intelligence), EQ is not fixed. They are developable skills, which is a great starting point for leaders who want to further develop themselves.
What does Emotional Intelligence consist of?
I use the so-called “five domains model,” which forms the basis for EQ.
Self-awareness
The ability to recognize and understand one’s own moods, feelings, emotions, and motivations, as well as their impact on the environment.
Self-regulation
The ability to limit the impact of (disruptive) impulses, emotions, and moods on actions, actions, and decisions by regulating them. So here it’s about the ability to think first and then act.
Self-motivation
The passion to work for more than just salary, necessity, status, and/or motivation. It concerns the intrinsic tendency to take action and pursue goals with energy, perseverance, and optimism, even when things are not going well.
Empathy
The ability to recognize, understand, and interpret the emotions and mood of other individuals.
Social skills
The ability to build and maintain mutually satisfying relationships and to maintain a loyal social network.
How can you use EQ in your organization?
There are many possibilities for measuring EQ and/or developing EQ. For yourself as a leader or for the development of your people. Combined with the measurement of behavior and motives, measuring Emotional Intelligence provides an extra dimension with even more clarity and insight. I’ll give you some examples of how I’ve used it with my clients.
- Development of Golden Leadership
- Personal leadership
- Team coaching
- Supervisory board intervision sessions
- Candidate recruitment selection
- Conflict management issues
- Communication training
- Team building
If you want to read more about this, read my book “Mijn beste team ooit! In 7 stappen naar Golden Leadership“.
Or do you want to know how you can increase your EQ? Take a look at the possibilities of an assessment.
