Gone are the days when only academic scores were required for predicting career growth and success. With cut throat competition in the corporate world, organizations have realized the dominance of Emotional Quotient (EQ) over Intelligence Quotient (IQ). Hence, in order to take your next career leap for gratifying success, ensure that there is an upliftment of your social skills which enhance your Emotional performance at work. To put it simply, your EQ will pave you to success by making you sneak in through the interview chase and win the ‘hot seat’ of your desired job.

What is so called EQ?

Emotional Quotient (EQ), also known as Emotional Intelligence, is a measure of one’s capability to identify, manage, evaluate and control their emotions and effectively communicate with people around. EQ was initially introduced by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer in 1990. It was later generalized by psychologist Daniel Goleman in his book, ‘Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More than IQ’.

There can be different perspectives of EQ and they are spread across five key components—self-awareness, self-regulation, self-motivation, empathy, and social skill. These components allow people to express themselves in a way which supports free flow of communication and cordial social relationships.

Relevance of EQ in Career Leap

Did you know 90% of top performers have high EQ? EQ is responsible for 58% better job performance? Managers with high EQ have lesser attritions in team and better team performance? High IQ can get you to a job; High EQ will get you to grow exponentially in that job. This fact existed even in old times but has been acknowledged more voraciously in the current era. A 'Career Builder Survey' conducted in 2011 clearly highlighted the weightage of EQ over IQ in the corporate world. Furthermore, the ‘Future of Job’ report issued by the World Economic Forum has put EQ amongst the top ten job skills required.

Yet another challenge that one’s career leap is destined to face is the lack of these key components of EQ in the young millennials. In their quest to figure out productive solutions for effective hiring, recruiters are coming up with assessment tools to shortlist suitable candidates with higher EQ. Moreover, work cultures demand that teams remain motivated with enhanced performance and EQ plays a vital role in that sphere as well.

Know 5 Crucial Ways EQ contributes in your Career Leap

Now that we know how important EQ is for your career growth and success, let’s look at 5 key traits which you can imbibe in your personality with little effort and reap great returns with regards to your career success. 

Courage. Courage is the emotion which allows you to counter fear. If you could fake courage for just 20 seconds, your adrenaline will kick off the fear and allow you to give your best to the task at hand. Fear engulfs us through questions of uncertainty, like "What if it doesn't work out as expected?" "What will people think of me?" "I can't step into this unless I am certain of the outcome." Instead of letting fear disempower you, try some thoughts of courage, like "I might surprise myself too with the outcome." "With little risk, I might succeed so let me give my best." "There's a high probability of success in trying out." Shift your performance and life with those moments of (fake) courage.

Change. Change is inevitable for any organization. And it is most likely to fear the unforeseen changes. The so-called leaders in organizations are individuals with high levels of emotional intelligence; they don’t run away  or shy out when they are required to face the change. They typically embrace change and share the good news related to those changes within their people in the organization. They play the role of ‘change propellers’ within the organization and ensure organizational growth and success amidst challenging times.

Empathy. Empathy allows you to give a patient wholehearted listening to others. More than the act of listening to what one has to say, empathy allows you to experience how one feels about what they are sharing. When you listen to the other person with respect and care; rather than being quite externally while waiting for your turn to speak up, you allow the communication to strengthen the mutual bond. You are also able to catch the nonverbal cues which sometimes are vital for clarity of context. Instil empathy in your conversations by defining a humanistic purpose at the very start of the conversation.

Optimism. Optimism or a positive attitude towards circumstances of life can make a big impact on your performance. People with high EQ tend to be aware of the moods of people around them. They also keep a watch on their own attitude and maintain their self-motivation and optimism while communicating with others. Reading a positive thought may not suffice since the pressures in present day life are tremendous; try contemplating over that positive thought in a few minutes of silence spent all with yourself. This will lift your energy and help you sustain that positivity and optimism in life.

Team Spirit. Emotionally intelligent people make themselves available for their team members. Their smile gives an open invitation where others can trust them to share their concerns. They exhibit interpersonal skills and communication with leadership charisma. Not only are they positive in their words and approach towards challenges at work, they infuse team spirit and group cohesiveness amongst their entire team. All of these attributes make their teams highly satisfied and the outcome is highly probable – “higher team performance”.