What used to be considered feminine qualities and soft skills are now being considered “must haves” for people who are looking to assume leadership positions or even looking for a new position.
More and more, companies are realizing that technical knowledge and skills may not be the best criteria for leaders to increase productivity and the bottom line. If you can’t get people motivated and feeling passionate about their work, all the technical skills in the world won’t keep people invested in the best interests of their companies.
According to a Harvard Business Review article entitled, “Emotional Intelligence Is No Soft Skill,” E.Q. accounts for nearly 90% of what moves people up the ladder when IQ and technical skills are roughly similar. And a recent Wall Street Journal article indicated that corporate boards are looking for individuals who possess experience in governance, human resources, and other traditionally female held positions. What a change!
For you personally, here are four reasons why you should not only know about, but also develop your Emotional Intelligence, EQ.
- Companies are using EQ as major criteria in hiring and promoting decisions.
- Being self-aware of emotions/reactions and sensing the emotional needs of others creates opportunities to work more collaboratively and meet company goals.
- Being caring and considerate creates an environment that allows others to feel safe to be open and authentic.
- Executives with higher EQ outperformed their annual revenue targets by 15-20%, and that 87% of executives who rated highly on EQ came in the top 33% of performance-related bonuses. (Leadership research by Psychologist David McClelland).
Yours Fearlessly,
Francesca
P.S. If you would like strategies in developing and using Emotional Intelligence, contact me.