Written by Sam Richards
EQ vs IQ – which is better?
“Hard work eventually solves all problems, but to solve problems quickly you need intelligence.” - Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words
Your IQ (intelligence quotient) is essentially a numerical representation of your intelligence. 100 is the average score meaning those who score above are ‘smarter’ than the average person and those who score below are supposedly less smart.
Your IQ measures abilities such as logical reasoning, mathematical skills and how easily you absorb and apply information. A high IQ indicates a good level of cognitive ability and therefore, one would assume, a high level of success.
But is that all there is to it?
“People who boast about their IQ are losers.” ― Stephen Hawking
Despite what some may think, IQ isn’t everything. Whilst it is undoubtedly a useful tool in many situations, a high IQ doesn’t necessarily equate to achievement.
Psychologist Daniel Goleman believes that, at best, IQ makes up only 20% of the factors that determine success. He explains in his book, Emotional Intelligence: why it can matter more than IQ, “What really matters for success, character, happiness and lifelong achievements is a definite set of emotional skills – your EQ — not just purely cognitive abilities that are measured by conventional IQ tests."
An emotional quotient (EQ or emotional intelligence) is a measure of how well a person is able to identify, assess and control their own emotions and the emotions of those around them. Naturally, these abilities lend themselves well to leadership and management roles.
“All learning has an emotional base.” – Plato
At a recent team briefing, Equilibrium hosted a debate between two members of the Equilibrium Academy (our training and development programme). The topic of the debate was ‘Which is the more important quality for a financial adviser? EQ or IQ?’
It was based on the statistic that, when surveyed, 61% of the Equilibrium team would rather have an adviser with a higher EQ than IQ.
Although EQ remained triumphant by the end of the debate, the points made by either side proved that both have valuable attributes for the workplace.
As in most areas of life, different skills are suited to different roles, and whether you have a high EQ, high IQ or both, everyone has the ability to succeed. See if your perfect role is at Equilibrium.
