IT

Why emotional intelligence is a key pillar of diversity and inclusion

Author: Big Think Editors / Source: Big Think

This series on diversity and inclusion is sponsored by Amway, which supports a prosperous economy through having a diverse workplace. Companies committed to diversity and inclusion are better equipped to innovate and drive performance. For more information, visit amwayglobal.com/our-story.

We’ve all known about IQ, shorthand for intelligence quotient, for a very long time. More recently, as studies show intelligence can be broken down into several pieces, other notions of intelligence have come to the forefront of research. One of the most prominent of these is emotional intelligence or EQ.

What is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence: What it is and do men or women have more of it Daniel Goleman

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Emotional intelligence: What it is and do men or women have more of it

Daniel Goleman

Author ‘Altered Traits’

05:30

Daniel Goleman, a psychologist and journalist who popularized the term, explains that “Emotional intelligence refers to how well we handle ourselves and our relationships.” It is another kind of brain power, but rather than helping us solve puzzles it helps us regulate our emotions and understand others.

Amway is a company in support of people around the world who are looking to start and build their own business. For more in this series, see — How organizations can embrace diversity to boost creativity

People who have a high EQ can enjoy a variety of benefits, including a better sense of self-awareness, superior regulation of emotions, the ability to understand others, greater motivation, a broader social network, and a higher income. In an age where we are more connected than ever before with diverse people we might not share histories with, emotional intelligence is a vital tool for success.

A more harmonious and productive workplace

Emotional intelligence allows us to better understand the people we work with. This, in turn, promotes productivity in the workplace by making it easier for teams to bring out the best in everyone. While this seems like something that can be done with procedures and rules, it takes more than that to really make a team function at its best.

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As Daniel Goleman explains,

“If you see a star performing team, you’re seeing a very high group IQ. But what predicts the actual productivity or effectiveness of a team is not the potential—that is, the best talents of every person—it’s how people are valued on that team. It’s how people feel there’s harmony, that we get along, that we surface simmering issues, that we take time to celebrate, that we know each person’s strengths and that we step aside when its time for this person to come forward. In other words, that we are a team that has a high emotional intelligence.”

Before a team can work well, the people in it have to not only be comfortable enough with one another to cooperate, but they also have to establish an environment where they understand each other and know they are appreciated. This allows each person to feel secure enough not to have to take the lead when they see another person could do it better. This cannot be done with procedures alone; it requires a level of trust only a high EQ can provide.