It’s often said nowadays that “EQ is the new IQ”. That is, Emotional Intelligence is the new competency to get you on in business. Rocket Scientists and Chemists may not agree, outside of the sciences however, there’s a pretty good case for it.
Having worked with business psychologists for a number of years (initially with Steven Sylvester and most recently with Impact Consulting), I’ve seen the power in understanding “self” and others. Humans are complicated folk. In fact, I often recount the saying that “people are more complicated than rocket science” (that comment was made by an ex-rocket scientist that went into HR). Unravelling the complexity of how we act, what makes us us, how to mine top performance and teamworking is a big job. There are tools to help of course, books, courses, consultatncy, basic leadership skills like honesty, fairness and consistency, aswell as psychometric tests.
I’ve used them for a number of years. I find them useful to profile candidates for interviews and to identify how teams can best work together in the business. I see a lot of value in them. Like anything, they need to be used as an interpretation tool, to back up other data or evidence that you may have. When you get to this level of understanding of yourself and your team, it’s easy to spot why things can go wrong, why some relationships work better than others, why some people want meetings agendas weeks in advance and why some creativity workshops work better than others.
Much depends – like a good tea – on the blend. What mix of personalities you put in the room or into teams, to get the results you need. What is evident is that you need a blend. If you put too many similar types into a room, you risk losing a balanced view and ending up with a one-dimensional view of the world. However, I can recommend that you try it. Seeing the results from your first psychometric test can be a little unnerving, primarily as they can be quite pointed and point out those things that you would prefer not to be pointed out, in time, you will see that it can unlock you, your team and your understanding of those around you.
