Emotional Quotient Factor

What is EQ?

There are two kinds of general intelligence:

1. Cognitive

2. Noncognitive

Cognitive intelligence is measured by IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and it indicates our ability to concentrate, focus, understand, remember, learn and recall as well as our ability to think things out, solve problems, and apply what we have learned.

Noncognitive intelligence includes emotional, personal and social abilities and skills that are important for efficiently and successfully coping with daily demands. It is how we understand ourselves, relate to other people and our ability to adapt to new and different situations. We call this Emotional Intelligence and it is measured by EQ (Emotional Quotient).

Emotional Intelligence (EI) can be defined as “the array of emotional, personal and social abilities and skills that influence one’s ability to succeed in coping with environmental demands and pressures.” Said another way, it is your “people skills.” It is that noncognitive ability to get along and to deal with a myriad of situations successfully and easily. EI helps predict success because it reflects how a person applies knowledge of a personal and interpersonal nature to the immediate environment. Because of this, many people refer to EQ as a measure of “street smarts” or “common sense.”

Why the Bar-On EQ-I Assessment?

The Bar-On EQ-I assessment was developed in 1985 and has been tested and normed with thousands of respondents. The test is both statistically reliable and valid. It features four separate validity indicators, allowing confidence that respondents are being honest in their responses.

All respondents are compared not to a general population sample, but rather to other normed respondents grouped by national origin, age group and gender. Ways you can use the Bar-On EQ-i.

Ways to Use EQ-I

• Hiring - who has the propensity to be successful? Who comes to the table with the necessary skills?

• Budgeting for Training - what to spend and where?

• Measuring the Impact of Training - assessing the impact in your company (before, during and after assessments)

• Teambuilding - the more they know about themselves and share with others, the closer they are

• Personal Development - what are your strengths and weaknesses and what do you need to do to make  yourself better?

• Benchmarking - identify your top performers and measure others against them

• Predict Behavior - know who will be your best manager in the future, etc.

• Performance Evaluations - accurately measure who is making progress in personal development.

Understanding the EQ-i

The Five Composite Scales-

1. Intrapersonal - assesses the inner self

• in touch with themselves

• feel good about themselves

• feel positive about what they are doing in their lives

2. Interpersonal - assesses relationships with others

• responsibility and dependability

• good social skills

• understand and interact well with others

3. Adaptability - ability to cope with environment, size up and deal with problems

• understand the problems in a situation

• have a realistic view of the world

• arrive at adequate solutions to problems

4. Stress Management - ability to handle stressful situations appropriately

• calm, rarely impulsive

• work well under pressure

• don’t lose control

5. General Mood - ability to enjoy life and outlook on life

• enjoys life

• positive, cheerful, hopeful

• helps with problem solving and stress tolerance

The 15 Subscales

Self-Regard

• High - knows who he is and likes and respects himself

• Low - may feel inferior or inadequate

Emotional Self-Awareness

• High - in touch with his feelings and emotions

• Low - does not understand what they are feeling and why

Assertiveness

• High - able to express feelings, thoughts and beliefs openly and defend their rights (non destructively)

• Low - difficulty expressing feelings and thoughts. May allow others to walk all over them

Independence

• High - self-reliant, self-directed, autonomous

• Low - clingy, dependent on others for advice, emotionally dependent

Self-Actualization

• High - set and achieving goals, know where they want to go

• Low - may be setting goals too high, or may feel like they are not where they want to be and not moving towards it

Empathy

• High - aware of and can appreciate the feeling of others. Able to read others

• Low - unaware of what others are feeling and unable to understand why others behave the way they do

Social Responsibility

• High - cooperative, contributing, engaged members of social groups

• Low - may take advantage of others, may not like being part of a group

Interpersonal Relationship

• High - able to establish and maintain mutually satisfying relationships, capable of giving and receiving affection. At ease in social situations.

• Low - Insensitivity to others, lack of desire to establish relationships, isolated

Reality Testing

• High - good at sizing up situations, well-grounded, realistic

• Low - unrealistic, perception and reality are very different, overreacting positively or negatively

Flexibility

• High - can adjust emotions, thoughts and behaviors to changing situations

• Low - rigid, unable to change regardless of environment

Problem Solving

• High - can identify, assess, weigh pros and cons of multiple solutions to a problem and chose the best solution

• Low - may not persevere and work through until the problem is solved. May not consider options in problem solving and simply take easiest way out

Stress Tolerance

• High - able to deal with stressful situations without falling apart

• Low - may become overwhelmed or act inappropriately under stress

Impulse Control

• High - can stick to a plan and resist temptations and distractions

• Low - may flit from thing to thing. Acts on whims without thinking through consequences

Optimism

• High - can maintain a bright outlook on life even in the face of adversity.

• Low - gets down in the dumps easily. Sees the negative side of things first

Happiness

• High - can derive pleasure from life. Can have fun at work and play

• Low - may worry too much, lack drive or be dissatisfied with life