Desire, drive and hustle will only get you so far without intelligence and knowledge. You know this. As a successful person in your industry, you are probably obsessed with staying on top of trends; whatever changes and innovations appear on the horizon, you are immediately involved in educating yourself and your team so you can stay cutting edge.
Right?
Well, let me encourage you to turn that same desire for professional development and education to your emotional horizon. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the single most important predictors for life and business success, but far too few people understand it or pursue it.
This is so important; I feel compelled to say it again:
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is one of the single most important predictors for life success.
The bad news is, no matter how smart you are in other areas, no matter your IQ, the ability to understand, manage, and express emotions effectively in yourself, and correctly perceive and interpret them in other people will be the single biggest factor in determining how far you reach up the proverbial ladder of life.
The good news is that the skills and qualities of emotional intelligence are teachable. With time and intention, you can learn to recognize and comprehend emotions, regulate them appropriately, and use emotional information to build strong relationships, both inside your personal and professional life.
I recently told a friend that typically, in any organization, the person making the most money wasn’t the smartest person, it was the most emotionally intelligent person.
And yet, still MBA programs spend such little time growing this asset in students. I digress…
If all this talk of emotions is making you uncomfortable, I want to challenge you on two points.
First of all, emotions are an essentially human trait. Every human being has them. You cannot avoid emotions. You can however, try to hide from them. You can also try to ignore them. But no matter what, they will catch up with you and determine much of your life outcome. Your own emotions and the ability to manage the emotions of others will determine your success in life.
Secondly, the stereotype of an emotionally intelligent person as someone who is constantly overflowing with emotions is not accurate. Having a high emotional IQ does not mean you are constantly weepy, always talking about your feelings, and a little whiny… This is emotionalism, and not the same thing as having a high EQ. That’s not what I’m advocating for here.
Rather, I’m encouraging you to invest the same level of self-education to growing in your emotional intelligence that you already do in other areas of your professional development, because it is likely going to determine your outcomes more than anything else!
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