EQ vs IQ

By

Vaibhav Mishra

MBA-IT II-SEM

How do u define, how smart you are? And how do you know, how well you use your smarts? Or let us take this the other way, what is that, that can get you hired for a job and what can get you promotion? It seems we can answer these questions easily. Yes the former is your Intelligence Quotient and the latter is your Emotional Quotient. But with time one can easily observe that we need to redefine our quantifying parameters about our efficiency in terms of IQ and EQ because when it comes to predicting future successes and brainpower, as measured by IQ and standardized achievement tests, may actually matter less than the character, or EQ of an individual. This discussion can be more interesting if we start wondering about what happened to the smartest kid in the class who didn't end up being successful, or why some of our friends survive the greatest trauma while others crumble over minor issues. The answer is simple, different people different EQ because it seems that people with low EQs have hard time surviving life.

EQ as such has gained importance these days; researchers have been studying the scope of improving a person’s EQ and in particular “people skill”, like empathy, graciousness, and the ability to "read" a social situation. Social scientists have analyzed situations where experiences have modified a person's EQ. For example, researchers indicate that when normal students are introduced to disabled peers, they ought to dramatically improve their ability to become empathetic and gracious. Additionally, the introduction of behaviorally disturbed students in a class of normal aged peers increases the ability of the latter group to learn to "read" social situations. A more profound improvement is frequently noted in the behaviorally disturbed student as well. Their research also brings to the forefront another interesting fact that optimistic people treat obstacles as mirrors and have high EQ. Also Darwin once quoted that, "The biggest, the smartest, and the strongest are not the survivors. Rather, the survivors are the most adaptable." Thos who survive and thrive in this complex world are the ones most adaptable and optimistic and hence are most likely to have a high EQ.

Is marketing EQ is more important than IQ? Simply put, IQ and expertise are no longer considered the best predictors of performance or leadership effectiveness. The traditional formula for leadership has been cognitive intelligence and utmost diligence and we are sure of finding many people still taking this stand for evaluating success.

EQ on the other hand can be regarded as a skill that can be learned through practice and can be reinforced. Personality inventories, such as the Myers- Briggs Type Indicator© or FIRO-B have shown that every individual develops a stable and comfortable "default work style." This "default work style" influences how we approach our work and how we interact with others with whom we work, the style does not change much after the mid 20s, however we can learn to manage and adapt our “style” to fit varying work situations and the personal needs and styles of others. Smart workers have the ability to intentionally understand, manage there social interactions. The key word in the above sentence is “intentionality”. Working smarter is intentionally being aware of the impact you are having on others and adjusting your style to get the best results with people and not through people. It is a heightened awareness to intentionally manage our "default settings” to reduce interpersonal disconnects by understanding and accepting others' needs and styles. With all this and lot more to justify both ends we may still argue on what is more important IQ or EQ.