Emotional Intelligence

EQ-i stands for Emotional Quotient Inventory and is the standard abbreviation for Emotional Intelligence which is a fairly new and broader measure of a person’s intelligence. EQ-i takes into account a number of different talents people have in areas like dealing with others, being good with your hands, being able to visualize things, etc. Standardized I.Q. tests mainly measure our mental sharpness, language and math skills but that is only one talent among several different kinds that more completely measure your intelligence.

It turns out that it is several other areas of intelligence that actually indicate how successful we can expect to be. I was surprised to learn that the majority of successful people just have average scores on IQ tests! Studies now show that interpersonal skills, self-knowledge and persistence are more important factors. Daniel Goldman found that most Asian students are more successful than their white classmates, not for their IQ level but because of their perseverance and that IQ contributes no more that 20% to overall intelligence. As an aside, I find it interesting that finishing work that they start is one of the main characteristics of a successful person.

It has taken over 20 years of work but Emotional Quotient tests are now scientifically verifiable and widely used in many areas like hiring employees, training personnel, choosing leaders and finding out more about a persons strengths and weaknesses. For instance people with low scores in Intrapersonal areas that measure how well you know yourself, tend to have unresolved personal issues and to be insecure. On the other hand, those who have a good knowledge of themselves are inclined to be more open to exposing their feelings and tolerant and those qualities lead to success.

The five intelligences measured in one of the several EQ-i tests are: Spatial or ability to visualize; Linguistic, a facility with words and languages; Logic-mathematical, abstractions, reasoning, and numbers; Bodily- Kinestics, control of motions and skill in handling objects; Musical, sensitivity to sounds, rhythms; Interpersonal, interaction with others; Intrapersonal, knowing yourself.

Now it’s time to test your own emotional intelligence - just click on the underlined EQ test.. I found the test was an interesting and worthwhile exercise

If you have a special interest in Leadership or Buying & Selling issues, EQ-i studies have interesting insights to contribute. Rie