Although there are other specific definitions of Emotional Quotient (EQ), I look at in in 5 areas:
1. Self-awareness
2. Self-Control
3. Internal motivation
4. Empathy, and
5. Social Skills
An assessment that I use from TTI measures each of these areas.
1. Self-Awareness
As an effective manager, you first need to understand yourself. If you’re in a bad mood and unlikely to help a situation, you need to have that awareness not to negatively affect another.
2. Self-Control
Self-control is necessary for two reasons: not react negatively, and to bring yourself back to at least a neutral place. Colors are helpful descriptions: red is typically used to indicate that a negative reaction may be imminent. (This is consistent with the term “seeing red.”) When you’re angry, it is typical to lash out at another, and that is not a good way to manage people.
3. Internal Motivation – what gets you out of bed in the morning, excited to embrace what comes your way.
When you wake up, if you feel like the guy from the Dunkin’ Donuts ad from years ago, you need a job that better motivates you. Anyone shutting off the alarm half asleep saying “time to make the donuts” needs a better reason to get out of bed. It doesn’t matter what motivates you, as long as it puts a spring in your step.
4. Empathy – the ability to understand what another person is feeling.
Unlike sympathy, which requires that you feel what another feels, empathy requires you just to understand what someone is experiencing. To be empathetic, you need to be able to pick up on body language and social cues. These tend to be subtle, so it’s most helpful to use all of your senses to pick up on them. It may be a movement, or the way something is said – or not said – that gives an indication of how the other feels.
5. Social Skills – the ability to use what you know about the person to connect with the person.
One with good social skills tends to be liked by many. After an interaction, the person might not know why the interaction went well or why they like you, but that will be the takeaway.
If you’d like to dive deeper into these areas, pick up the book Working with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Taking the EQ assessment from TTI will also give you greater insight, give you an idea of how well developed each of these areas are, and provide direction on how to improve each of the areas. As a general rule, journaling helps aid improvement because one can go back and try to find a trend for why certain things happen. Here is a sample report you would receive after taking the assessment.
If you're interested in learning more about EQ or taking the assessment, please contact us.