EQ vs. IQ - emotional intelligence, intelligence quotient

Emotional Intelligence and the Heart Take Their Rightful Place beside IQ and the Brain

Compelling evidence recently has surfaced; leading scientists to believe that Einstein's superior intellectual ability may have been related to the region of his brain that supports psychological functions. This new evidence is no surprise to those behind the latest rage in corporate competence - the idea of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a counterpart to intelligence quotient (IQ). Nor is the concept of EQ totally new to successful global communicators, many of whom have refined their emotional and communication competencies to a fine art.

Research shows that emotional intelligence may actually be significantly more important than cognitive ability and technical expertise combined. In fact, some studies indicate that EQ is more than twice as important as standard IQ abilities. Further, evidence increasingly shows that the higher one goes in an organization, the more important EQ can be. For those in leadership positions, emotional intelligence skills account for close to 90 percent of what distinguishes outstanding leaders from those judged as average.

Physicians and business management experts are now reporting that the theory of emotional intelligence answers questions they've never been able to answer before.

Once referred to as personality, "soft skills," character, or even communication skills, the scientifically based concept of emotional intelligence offers a more precise understanding of a specific kind of human talent.

"Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships," says Daniel Goleman in his book "Working with Emotional Intelligence" (1999). It describes abilities distinct from, but complementary to, academic intelligence - the purely cognitive capacities measured by IQ.

"Emotion informs everything we do," explains Kate Cannon, president of Minneapolis-based Kate Cannon and Associates, Inc., and developer of the American Express Financial Advisors program featured in Goleman's book "Working with Emotional Intelligence." "Emotional intelligence is helping us truly understand what effective leadership is and how people develop it; why we've not gotten the expected results from change work in organizations; and why really smart people do really dumb things that end up derailing their careers."