After many years, I still follow the “Ask Marilyn” column in
Parade
magazine that comes with the Sunday newspaper. Written by Marilyn vos Savant—who’s known for having one of the highest-ever recorded IQ scores—I’m always impressed with her analytical thought and application of logic to problem-solve. She may be an extraordinary example, but our business sectors, too, require high levels of IQ to compete and thrive. Mental capacity
is
important. But it’s only part of your workforce’s success.
The previous installments of “Building the Perfect Team” covered how managers can bring on “smart” hires as well as ones that are the “right” fit respectively. To close the series, I’ll focus on emotional intelligence and its effect on work culture. It was about 30 years ago when the terms
emotional intelligence
(EI) and its complementary measure
emotional quotient
(EQ) gained prominence. Basically, emotional intelligence is one’s impartial awareness of self and correlation to others in a given environment.
You want to have emotionally intelligent people on your team. They are ones that are cognizant of their strengths and weaknesses. They understand how their behavior affects—for good and bad—the well-being of their co-workers. And this doesn’t mean they are emotionless. Rather, they’ve learned to manage their feelings. So high-EQ people don’t take everything personally. For instance, they know a manager will often treat individuals differently but still maintain fairness as circumstances dictate.
Emotionally intelligent people also aren’t divas. Self-important, temperamental, and difficult-to-please characters work great as antagonists in TV shows, movies, and novels. At the office, though, these personalities are a toxic presence. As much as possible, high-EQ people don’t allow their personal life or political leanings to interfere with team function. And their lack of ego allows them to be okay when their ideas aren’t always accepted.
The high-EQ employee is also comfortable with changing dynamics. When necessary, I expect team members to take on roles that, on occasion, may fall outside of their job description—but not beyond their ability. By not being risk averse, emotionally intelligent workers extend themselves outside of their comfort zone when called upon. This kind of maturity develops a capacity for career growth and, when shared across the board, fosters a strong, unifying team camaraderie.
Early in my career I worked with someone who, I learned later, was a Mensa member. I wasn’t too surprised upon hearing that. He always struck me as an exceptionally sharp person, but I was more impressed with his sensitivity to others even as he diligently performed his work. The wisdom of experience has now taught me emotional intelligence in a hire also counts for a great deal. And since the goal is to build a
perfect
team, a composite of IQ and EQ traits in your team members is the ideal.
