RAINMAKERS
EMOTIONAL
INTELLIGENCE AND
THE IMPORTANCE OF
BEING GENUINE
By Dr. Clifford Ferguson
T
here’s an enormous amount
of research suggesting that
emotional intelligence (EQ)
is critical to your performance at
work. Recent research has tested
the EQ of more than a million
people and found that it explains
58% of success in all types of jobs.
People with high EQs make
significantly more annually than
people with low EQs. Ninety
percent of top performers have high
EQs, even a single-point increase in
your EQ adds to your salary.
Suffice it to say, emotional
intelligence is a powerful way to
focus your energy in one direction
with tremendous results.
But there’s a catch. Emotional
intelligence won’t do a thing for you
if you aren’t genuine.
A recent study from the Foster
School of Business at the University
of Washington found that people
don’t accept demonstrations of
emotional intelligence at face
value. They’re too skeptical for that.
They don’t just want t o see signs of
emotional intelligence. They want
to know that it’s genuine - that
your emotions are authentic.
According to lead researcher
Christina Fong, when it comes to
‘‘A recent study from the Foster
School of Business at the University of
Washington found that people don’t accept
demonstrations of emotional intelligence
at face value. They’re too skeptical for that.
They don’t just want to see signs of emotional
intelligence. They want to know that it’s
genuine - that your emotions are authentic.’’
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your co-workers, “They are not just
mindless automatons. They think
about the emotions they see and
care whether they are sincere or
manipulative.”
The same study found that sincere
leaders are far more effective at
motivating people because they
inspire trust and admiration
through their actions, not just
their words. Many leaders say that
authenticity is important to them,
but genuine leaders walk their talk
every day.
It’s not enough to just go through
the motions, trying to demonstrate
qualities that are associated with
emotional intelligence. You have to
be genuine.
You can do a gut check to find
out how genuine you are by
comparing your own behavior
to that of people who are highly
genuine. Consider the hallmarks
of genuine people and see how you
stack up. “Authenticity requires a
certain measure of vulnerability,
transparency, and integrity,” - Janet
Louise Stephenson.