IQ is generally thrown around in our modern world as a term to define someone’s intelligence. The term stands for “Intelligence Quotient,” and is determined by a score resulting from a range of tests. You may hear kids these days talking about what they got on an online IQ test, or bragging that they have a high IQ, and it turns intelligence into a competition. However, I believe that the metric of intelligence is not the sole factor of determining your chances of succeeding in life. Instead, I have found that a person’s EQ (“Emotional Quotient”), or how they communicate with others and possess other social skills like an ability to empathize and “read the room,” provides more benefits than intelligence.
Let’s say that you are applying for a job. You walk into an office, resume in hand, showcasing your history as an overachiever in school with outstanding grades and excellent academic performance. However, you are generally more reserved by nature. The need for this job has you nervous. You ask yourself, “What questions will they ask?” and “Am I qualified enough?” Your nerves get to you in the interview. If an employer was presented with someone who is clearly qualified with the statistics to prove it but who doesn’t seem very social or outgoing, and another person with average statistics but who has a sociable and entertaining personality and isn’t hesitant to joke around with the employer, who would they pick?
Well, an article written by psychology study graduate Sara Viezzer suggests that times are changing, and so are needs in the workplace. The article states that, while the ability to solve problems and work under a deadline can be extremely beneficial in a work environment, there is a growing desire for people who can not only work under pressure, but also sustain their own mental health in tandem. These abilities can be seen as the most beneficial when working in environments where communication is vital to the job, like sales.
Personally, I know that my father has a very strong EQ, as he is required to manage his sales representatives in order to make the quota for that business quarter. Sometimes, however, either a client isn’t convinced by a presentation or someone just isn’t doing their job to the best of their ability. When this happens, it’s difficult to not get angry. I’ve noticed that my father does his best to work through problems step by step with his co-workers, whether it be following up with an email or resolving problems by giving advice to improve. He is able to work so closely and comfortably with his co-workers because he does something that most people in his shoes probably would not be the most comfortable with, which is actually taking the time to get to know and personally interact with his sales team. He will invite his team over to our house for dinner or even his boss, just to build relationships.
By putting in the effort with these interactions, it allows people to appreciate your work more and get to know you as a person, which leads not only to stronger work relationships but also to friendships. This is a bit of a stretch, but I had Mr. Scancarella as a biology teacher last year and I remember coming into freshman year, wanting to get to know as many teachers as I could just so that I wasn’t a stranger in the school. While I wasn’t the best biology student academically, I enjoyed Mr. Scancarella’s humorous personality, and would like to believe that I was a pleasure to talk to in his class. I realized this year when running into Mr. Scancarella in the hallway that I definitely had not left freshman year as a stranger to him, as our conversation had more of a casual tone to it. My point is, by making a name for yourself by being social, interacting, and just acknowledging other people’s thoughts and paying attention to them while speaking, you can build genuine connections that can be beneficial later.
I wanted to write this article because I recognized that, while I sometimes may not be achieving my goals academically, I spend a lot of effort and time trying to build more casual relationships with people like employers, co-workers, and definitely teachers. I believe (and have experienced) that, when people actually know who you are and don’t see you as just another student or another employee, it becomes a lot easier to talk to them, and also a lot more entertaining and fun. So, while IQ is undoubtedly important when it comes to solving problems and logical reasoning, being self aware and interpreting emotions can be a skill applied not only to one’s career, but also to life.
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