Business places a high value on intelligence. We want to see diplomas, degrees, and certifications. This kind of intelligence is immediately quantifiable and quickly provable. You have to be smart, show some savvy, to be a successful leader.

So how is your emotional intelligence? That’s a far different thing. Emotional intelligence is the measuring stick regarding how you get along with other people. It dictates your managerial style and work ethic. Being smart is important, but recent business thinking places emotional intelligence right up there with verbal intelligence (IQ).

Emotional intelligence is the measuring stick regarding how you get along with other people. It dictates your managerial style and work ethic. Share on X

Emotional intelligence can be broken down into five segments. How do you rank yourself within these areas?

• Self-awareness — The ability to understand, recognize, and properly identify your moods, drives, and emotions. Leaders are also aware of how their demeanor affects others.
• Self-regulation — Not everything we desire is beneficial. Exercise self control. Thinking before acting and considering the long term effects of those actions is a great sign of emotional maturity.
• Internal Motivation — Success in and of itself can be an emotionally empty goal. Internal motivation indicates something deeper: a desire to do good, a willingness to go the extra mile, or remaining optimistic in the face of failure are good checkpoints for internal motivation.
• Empathy — The ability to understand other people’s emotional states and connecting with them where they are. This is different from sympathy, which implies concern or pity. However, being aware of the feelings of others is included within the empathic skill set.
• Social skills — These are what we use to build and enhance relationships. They are essential for leadership, for team building, and for life.

Emotional intelligence is neither good nor bad. There are no values attached to it. It’s always good to know what your EI level is. Are you curious? Try this emotional intelligence test!