Is emotional intelligence a better predictor of performance and leadership than traditional measures of intelligence? If so, is it possible to measure and develop abilities related to emotional intelligence? What exactly is emotional intelligence and in what other ways does it impact the workplace?
Setting the right emotional tone for a given task or situation is a key leadership skill
Addressing these questions has been at the forefront of applied psychology since Dr Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking book Emotional Intelligence was published in 1995. There is now convincing evidence that emotional intelligence is indeed the new yardstick by which leaders and employees are measured, and that it has farreaching effects in the modern workplace.
Traditional measures of intelligence do not account for most of the variance in work performance. When IQ test scores are correlated with how well people perform in their jobs, the estimate is that IQ accounts for between four to 25 per cent of the variance in work performance. Leaving the vast majority of performance variability to be attributable to others factors, IQ will likely remain a predictor of which job, profession, or career path a person can follow.
However, when it comes to predicting whether a person will become a star performer or leader in that role, IQ may be a less powerful predictor than emotional intelligence. Naturally, people who hire and promote are more interested in assessing the capabilities related to outstanding performance and leadership. IQ alone does not predict success in the workplace as well as frameworks that integrate cognitive, emotional, and social intelligence competencies. Thinking and feeling are interwoven in mental life, especially in complex decision-making, self-awareness, emotional self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and interpersonal functioning, which are all aspects of emotional intelligence.
Leadership requires that an individual demonstrate above average emotional intelligence, along with high cognitive ability in order to process the complexity of information as well as effectively navigate the social and political landscape in which they operate. Research has also demonstrated that emotions are transferred, often unconsciously, from person to person. In a sense, emotions are contagious. Setting the right emotional tone for a given task or situation is a key leadership skill, and one which leaders are unlikely to have learned through traditional education.
Completing rigorous graduate programmes, passing entrance exams, and gaining credentials ensure that those who pass such hurdles are of above average intelligence. The majority of people hired into professional or technical roles have the IQ to get the job done. This renders given levels of IQ a minimal capability that all who are within a given job pool must have to get and keep their job. For example, physicians or chief executive officers may all need an above average IQ in order to hold their job. However, simply having a superior IQ does not guarantee that they will be superior doctors, accountants, or leaders. While IQ is clearly an important measure, by expanding our definition of intelligence we obtain a more realistic and valid assessment of the factors that lead to personal and leadership effectiveness.
We often assume that, unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be developed. While emotional intelligence likely does have a genetic component, research evidence supports the notion that the competencies and abilities related to emotional intelligence can be developed. A multi-year study by the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organisations (www.eiconsortium.org) found several applied programmes that had a significant impact on the development of emotional intelligence in adults. To some extent, emotional intelligence may be learned through life experience – however, without sustained effort and attention, people are unlikely to significantly improve their emotional intelligence.
Simply telling people they need to improve their emotional intelligence or giving them feedback on the specific competencies and abilities they should work on is rarely enough. The intense focus on performance gaps in traditional performance management often undermines the effective use of feedback in coaching and training initiatives focused on developing emotional intelligence.
Providing a more balanced view – including a focus on strengths, an articulation of a personal vision and how developing emotional intelligence competencies helps one achieve that vision – can often overcome feelings of defensiveness that undermine social and emotional competencies. If done correctly, such feedback becomes a central component of motivation and goal setting.
The development of social and emotional competencies takes commitment and sustained effort. Emotional intelligence competencies can be improved. However, traditional forms of executive education and typical corporate leadership development initiatives result in minimal impact on social and emotional competencies. Rather, emotional intelligence is best developed using methods significantly different than those used to develop technical skills.
The first international emotional intelligence conference, EI: What is it and Why it Matters, will be held in Malta on September 25. Together with my co-facilitator Laura Mari i Barrajón, I will be sharing best practices for assessing and developing emotional intelligence in the workplace and introducing specific techniques to motivate and sustain the development of social and emotional competencies.
As the pace and complexity of modern organisations increases, emotional intelligence provides those who embrace it with powerful tools to manage themselves and inspire others.
Dr Robert Emmerling is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organisations. He is also a visiting professor at the ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University, Spain.