Episode 5. EQ: The Humanity

IQ v EQ. Smarts v Feels. Logic v Humanity.

It’s often assumed that to be a good leader you need a high IQ. I don’t ascribe to that view.

I think common sense and instinct make better leaders than those with the uber smarts. Really good leaders tend to have all three, which is rarer than you think.

But the great leaders have a fourth ingredient. They have high EQ.

So what’s EQ then? It’s your Emotional Quotient. Your Emotional intelligence.

It’s not exactly sitting cross-legged on a mountain top, chiming bells, but it is sensing, understanding and managing emotions. Both yours and others. For great leaders, that last bit matters.

High EQ doesn’t mean you have a better understanding of human behavioural patterns. It means you have a better sense of the patterns of humanity. A better understanding of the mechanics of humanity.

Now, I’m no slouch when it comes to IQ, but I’d hazard a guess my EQ is higher. It’s grown as I’ve grown as an individual. As a human.

IQ helps me make sense of numbers, and strategies and words. It’s the thing that processes the data and spits it out in plans and deliverables.

But EQ is something different. That’s a feeling. It helps me sense when someone needs support, even if they don’t ask. It helps me sense when the mood music changes and I need to tack in a more subtle direction. It helps me sense what’s driving an individual so I can adjust course to meet them on the right terms.

The higher into leadership I’ve gone, the more I’ve led with EQ. I can also see it in the best leaders I’ve worked for. They’ve made sure that people are seen as individuals, with human needs that need to be recognised.

I've led people over the years who were doing the day job fantastically well, but were also dealing with personal crises behind closed doors. They were making twice the effort to do what they usually do because at that point, they had a human need that was greater than the business need. But they kept showing up.

EQ leaders allow space for that. You can sense what’s needed and act accordingly. You can feel the weight someone is carrying and make sure that weight is supported. You can see what sits beneath the exterior because the invisible becomes visible, even if others don’t notice it.

Lower EQ leaders miss this. They focus on the numbers and moving the business forward without sensing the human needs that are driving that success. Then they wonder why people disengage and underperform.

When people feel seen and supported at work, they feel a deeper sense of belonging, both as a valuable asset, but also a human with human needs that are being met. That leads to genuine loyalty and contentment at work.

Leading with EQ sows the seeds of trust, commitment and openness.

Leading with EQ, with humanity, is leading on the deepest level.

And that always leads to great things.