Newsletter No. 123

Quick Reads

quick read — Emotional intelligence

There Is No Relationship Between Being Emotional and Having High Emotional Intelligence

Much is made of emotional intelligence (EQ) as a crucial skill for effective leadership, team collaboration, and personal growth. Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize, understand, manage, and influence the emotions of oneself and others. It’s been hailed as just as important—if not more important—than IQ in determining success, particularly in interpersonal relationships.

However, there’s a common misconception that being emotional equates to having high emotional intelligence. After all, if someone is in touch with their emotions and frequently expresses them, they must be emotionally intelligent, right? Not necessarily. In fact, being emotional and having high emotional intelligence are not the same thing at all, and in many cases, they are completely unrelated.