The Impact of EQ in the Workplace Dymphna Cordova President, Sourcing Made Simple

What Do Corporate Leaders Say About EQ? “EQ is more important than IQ” Based on a 2011 Career Builder survey of more than 2600 hiring managers: 71% valued EQ over IQ 75% were more likely to promote a high EQ employee 59% said they “passed” on candidates with high IQ but low EQ 6/2/16

Why is EQ So Important from a Work Perspective? Employees with high EQ are… Better able to manage stressful situations & changing environments/organizational cultures More cooperative, collaborative & open to feedback Empathetic to others, more developed social skills & more innate political acumen Comfortable making decisions, appropriate amount of analysis and data gathering EQ is the strongest predictor of performance!* * Based on Talent Smart study comparing EQ along 33 other workplace skills 6/2/16

Why is EQ So Important from a Work Perspective? EQ can be used to enhance employability—high EQ is a differentiator in the interview process and promotions Effective career decision-making is tied to accurate self-awareness Studies and surveys consistently show correlation of top performers and high EQ Even if organizations are not using the term “EQ” they are making employment decisions based on their assessment of EQ skill. 6/2/16

How Does Low EQ Manifest in a Work Environment? Common examples of the call to HR to discuss “Low EQ” employee concerns: Insensitivity to other team members’ feelings or opinions Volatile or emotional outbursts in meetings Poor communication skills with all levels Lack of awareness of how behavior is impacting team Descriptors such as arrogant, inflexible or rigid are routinely used to describe low EQ staff 6/2/16

Today’s Desired Work Environment/Culture focused on High EQ Companies want high EQ leaders to lead high EQ teams which are characterized by: Working in collaboration Good morale Engaged with job, team and company Effective communication Having fun, good humor Higher productivity, better bottom line Low EQ employees are easily identifiable in this environment and stand out negatively 6/2/16

How to Start Developing & Improving EQ for the Workplace Childhood is the critical time for developing EQ skills. If parents/schools place IQ at the top of the value chart, gifted children may not get the message of building EQ skills until much later when they enter the work environment Participate in team sports and school projects to develop collaboration skills early Recognize emotions and understand the cause Express anger appropriately – team interactions or 1:1 play dates Leverage strengths as EQ competence is built Make it a goal like any other skill development area 6/2/16