eTip #618 Forget IQ-Tree "Q's" You Need to Succeed

Forget IQ—Three ‘Q’s You Need to Succeed

by Liz Scavnicky-Yaekle

Most people are familiar with ‘IQ,’ an indicator of logical reasoning ability and technical intelligence.  Albert Einstein’s IQ was estimated at 160 and John F. Kennedy’s was only 119.  Traditional hiring and promoting methods often required a high IQ for climbing to the top ranks of American businesses, however today many companies are turning to more effective metrics.

Truth be told—your IQ is insignificant where compared to your EQ (Emotional Intelligence), MQ (Moral Intelligence), and BQ (Body Intelligence).  In fact, 85% of a person’s success is due to their human engineering skills according to Carnegie Institute of Technology research.  The team of researchers defined it as a person’s ability to communicate, negotiate and lead, coupled with his or her personality. 

Here are the right ‘Qs’ to pay attention to:

Emotional Intelligence was first coined by scientists Peter Salovey and John D. Mayer as, “a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and action.” 

Learning and applying Dale Carnegie’s Human Relations principles is an ideal, systematic way to increase your EQ.  For example, principle ‘Try honestly to see things from the other person’s point of view,’ enables you to determine when it is appropriate to say vs. save something.  Being open and honest with people reinforces their trust so that they in turn feel comfortable sharing with you.  There are, however, statements better served when saved—anything that may hurt another person or make her feel awkward.  The higher your EQ level, the more likely you are to be aware of your inner dialogue so you can respond appropriately to others and ultimately foster healthy, productive relationships. 

Moral Intelligence dovetails emotional intelligence as it relates to a person’s integrity, responsibility, sympathy, and forgiveness.  Essentially, it is the Golden Rule—‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’  Dale Carnegie’s 19^th principle, ‘Appeal to nobler motives,’ underscores the importance of having an ideal moral code. Acting with integrity in all you do; being accountable when you make mistakes; demonstrating respect, acceptance, tolerance and understanding of others, are a few examples.  When faced with a tough decision, ask yourself if you are acting with integrity or may lose the respect of others.  This is a surefire way to increase your MQ.

Body Intelligence reflects how you feel about and manage your body.  Listening to your inner dialogue; getting sufficient sleep and exercise; and maintaining a healthy diet fuel your BQ level.  Some people ignore their bodies because they assume these matters are unrelated to job performance, however your BQ directly impacts your feelings, thoughts, self-confidence and state of mind.  Therefore strong body intelligence is required to reach your peak performance in terms of productivity, relationships with others, etc. 

Bottom line—improving your EQ, MQ and BQ levels will help propel your personal and professional success!

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