Emotional intelligence

Sally Campbell

“All learning has an emotional base.”
— Plato

Most of us did an IQ test at school, probably as part of the ‘Quallie’ that determined who went to a grammar school place and who did not. IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient, and the test presented a series of questions and puzzles that attempted to measure quickness of understanding. Emotional Intelligence Quotient (EQ), is a more recent yardstick, though Charles Darwin’s book, The Expression of Emotions in Man and Animals, was written in 1872. He was a long way ahead of his time, the first to document the role of emotions in everyday life, but the ‘people skills’ of today depend on a complex ability to regulate impulses, understand others and be resilient in the face of obstacles.

Research has shown that three quarters of work careers which come off the tracks do so because of reasons that are basically emotional. 80% of employees who quit their job do so not because of the work but because of an intolerable manager.

Most of us have at some time suffered from the effects of a person who doesn’t interact well with others. Such a person, though competent ‘on paper’ often can’t handle change and fails to elicit trust because he or she doesn’t listen to others and comes over as unsympathetic and abrasive. Ever since data, has been collected, the trends remain unchanged, and will come as no surprise many of us.

• 90% of those who quit report that lack of appreciation and respect has led to their decisions to leave.
• 80% of all ethical complaints are about personal harassment, or abuse of others, coupled with the misuse of organisational resources
• 90% of measured differences between high and medium performers show that the best performers have high scores in terms of empathy, interpersonal skills and social responsibility.

Such factors as cleverness, experience on the job and a high educational level do not come into the difference between the best and the worst managers. Consistently, those with high degrees of emotional intelligence consistently outperform those without it. So what exactly are these EQ qualities?

Basically, there are three main aspects, Awareness of Self, Self Regulation and Working Well with Others. Within these main headings, scientists have identified 54 detailed areas of functioning. Just as our bodies have their circulatory, skeletal, neurological and muscular systems, our emotional, behavioural and cognitive systems need to function well and work together as a whole. Each of us is, in effect, a small eco-system, just as the vast marine environment is. Stressful mechanised efficiency will never be as good as a healthy system that ‘feels right’.

References:

1990 – Psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer publish their landmark article, “EmotionalIntelligence”, in the journal Imagination, Cognition, and Personality.
1995 – Daniel Goleman’s book Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ popularises the concept of emotional intelligence.

2012 – Judy Aanstad, Pamela Corbett, Catherine Jourdan and Roger Pearman publish People Skills Handbook: Action Tips for Improving your Emotional Intelligence. Acorn Abbey Books.