Emotional Intelligence The ability to perceive, control, and evaluate emotions. Some researchers suggest that emotional intelligence can be learned and strengthened, while other claim it is an inborn characteristic.

A lot of emphasis has been put on certain aspects of intelligence such as logical reasoning, math skills, spatial skills, understanding analogies, verbal skills etc. Researchers were puzzled by the fact that while IQ could predict to a significant degree academic performance and, to some degree, professional and personal success, there was something missing in the equation.

Who ? One of the major missing parts in the success equation is emotional intelligence, a concept made popular by the groundbreaking book by Daniel Goleman and the research of John D. Mayer. The founders of this concept found that for various reasons and thanks to a wide range of abilities, people with high emotional intelligence tend to be more successful in life than those with lower EIQ even if their classical IQ is average.

Measuring Intelligence In regard to measuring emotional intelligence – I am a great believer that criterion-report (that is, ability testing) is the only adequate method to employ. Intelligence is an ability, and is directly measured only by having people answer questions and evaluating the correctness of those answers.” --John D. Mayer

The Importance John Gottman: "In the last decade or so, science has discovered a tremendous amount about the role emotions play in our lives. Researchers have found that even more than IQ, your emotional awareness and abilities to handle feelings will determine your success and happiness in all walks of life, including family relationships."

How will it affect you? Today companies worldwide routinely look through the lens of EQ in hiring, promoting, and developing their employees. For instance, Johnson and Johnson (another CREIO member) found that in divisions around the world, those identified at mid career as having high leadership potential were far stronger in EI competencies than were their less-promising peers.

The Emotions Research reveals that that mastery of these personal and interpersonal skills is the single most important determinant of our performance success. It is also a major determinant in how we feel, think and act. Emotional Intelligence will determine how well you know and manage yourself, how well you handle what happens to you and how well you interact and handle others.

Five Domains Emotional Self-Awareness - Know what you are feeling and what your emotional state is, and then using that information to help you make effective decisions for better outcomes for yourself and others. Emotional Self-Regulation - Possessing the ability to manage your emotional state and control ones interpretations of external events. The ability to choose how you feel and to be able to alter stress states. Emotional Self-Motivation - The ability to use your emotions to create self action. Ones ability to work though resistance, to commit and to persist. Using your emotions to be positive, optimistic and confident. Empathy - The ability to listen effectively and accurately enough to put yourself in the other person's shoes. The ability to have perspective. You may not necessarily agree with them, but can understand the situation from their point of view in order to improve communication, problem-solving, and trust. Managing Relationships - The ability to cooperate, consider and show care for others, appreciate difference and create win-win outcomes.

Did you know? Emotional Intelligence is a learned skill. Research shows that emotional competencies are controlled by a different part of the brain to technical and cognitive skills. Emotional Intelligence has been proven to be twice as important as IQ for job performance. The importance of emotional intelligence increases as one climbs the career ladder. Teams with high emotional intelligence as well as skill are faster, more productive and more innovative. EQ allows teams to think more clearly under pressure, are calmer and less stress as they spend less energy on internal emotional turmoil. Leaders with high emotional intelligence have been rated the best bosses that talented people want to work for. Emotional intelligent work environments have less turnover, adapt to change quicker and are more innovative. Emotional Intelligent organizations have less customer complaints and increased customer trust and loyalty.

Who needs EQ? Emotional Competence has everything to do with acting SMART - having the skills to manage your emotions to help you make choices in-the-moment and have more effective control over yourself and your impact on others.

Submitted by Marissa Uphaus, Resident Assistant, Ball State University