Written by: Eric Handler

The Preeminence of EQ

A leader’s ability to engage people at the emotional level has emerged as the strongest indicator of leadership potential and performance.

Multiple studies show emotional intelligence (EQ) is a key hallmark of great leaders, as well as the defining differentiator for 90 percent of top performers in any role.

EQ is the capacity of individuals to recognize and accurately name their emotions and the emotions of others and to appropriately apply that information to guide their thoughts and behaviors in order to achieve goals – and it can be developed. In other words, think ‘Emotional Competency’ and ‘Emotionally Fluency.’

Emotions – feelings in motion – are the driving force of humanity. Yet without a framework to manage them, they are more like an undertow current: often unseen, surprisingly strong and potentially fatal if not handled swiftly and expertly.

For all of these reasons, leading organizations are investing resources to identify high EQ individuals and to develop the EQ bench strength of everyone in the company.

EQ is not a be-all-end-all assessment: it does not measure technical skills or particular role capability. But by integrating the mastery of feelings with the business-appropriate language of emotional intelligence, organizations expect to develop outstanding leaders, and by default, outstanding organizations.

Next month, our Handler Report will provide a case study on and the steps to implement EQ in organizations, plus a quick EQ self-assessment and resources to learn more.

Additional Resource: click here to watch a humorous introduction to EQ for individuals with high IQs.