EQ versus IQ: Which should you leverage when?

Your best workmate pops into your DMs and asks if you can chat. They’re working on a challenging project teeming with obstacles, making it hard for them to stay motivated and focused.

You either:

1. Offer a listening ear, lend your support, and assure them they’ll get through it

2. Provide your professional opinion on breaking down each roadblock

The first response showcases your emotional quotient (EQ): your ability to understand and manage your emotions and those of others. The second response uses your intelligent quotient (IQ): your capacity for problem-solving, critical thinking, and logical reasoning. 

One reaction and set of skills may come more naturally to you than the other — but both are handy in your personal and professional life. Developing a well-rounded skill set and knowing when to switch between EQ versus IQ can improve your communication skills and help you become resilient to various challenges.

What’s EQ versus IQ? 

Throughout your day, you flex emotional and intellectual skills. Here’s a breakdown of the two. 

Emotional quotient

Your EQ measures your emotional intelligence, assessing your ability to identify, manage, and express your emotions. Your emotional intelligence skills — like self-awareness, empathy, and self-motivation — help you name your feelings and consequent behavior to then recognize it more easily in others.

If you’re working with a difficult client, your emotional intelligence gives you the tools to approach the situation calmly and professionally. And developing your emotional intelligence skills helps you become a more self-aware and supportive communicator. 

Intelligence quotient

Your IQ measures your capacity to learn, comprehend, and apply knowledge to daily tasks. This involves several skills, like logic and verbal communication. And developing your IQ involves learning how to filter out irrelevant information, retain important details, and solve complex issues.

Imagine the same difficult client. Your IQ provides the necessary resources to create an effective communication strategy. You organize your thoughts and communicate clear, persuasive details to reassure your troubled listener.

6 differences between EQ and IQ

Understanding both your EQ and IQ thoroughly will help you effectively apply these skills. Here are six crucial differences between EQ versus IQ in the workplace:

1. Type of ability: Your EQ refers to your emotional abilities and social skills, including cognitive empathy, emotional regulation, and motivation. Conversely, IQ measures your cognitive and intellectual skills, like working memory, analytical thinking, and knowledge retention. 

2. Information processing: Your EQ is your ability to perceive and understand your and others’ emotions based on information like verbal and nonverbal cues. And your IQ is your ability to learn, interpret, and process information to develop hard and soft skills.

3. Interpersonal skills versus job performance: A good EQ means you can empathize with others and control your reactions, significantly influencing your ability to create rewarding relationships. And a good IQ makes you a competent and efficient worker with a robust skill set.

4. Internal versus external knowledge: Increasing your EQ involves immense self-awareness to identify your emotions and their subsequent behaviors. But increasing your IQ means acquiring tangible knowledge and practicing concrete skills like solving logic puzzles and performing well on verbal exams.

5. Conflict resolution: Your emotional and intellectual intelligence work together to resolve conflicts. The former helps you understand the other person’s perspective and control emotional responses, and the latter determines how logically and efficiently you can solve the issue at hand.

6. Growth: You improve your emotional competency with reflection and experience. In some sense, the same is true of your IQ, but human intelligence is also heavily correlated to a complex mixture of genetics and childhood development.

EQ versus IQ: Which one is more important?

Neither EQ nor IQ are inherently better. Good emotional intelligence helps you navigate social and emotional situations well, while good intellectual intelligence sets you up with the cognitive tools to understand and overcome challenges in your daily routine. 

IQ measurement procedures like standardized tests were historically correlated to higher job performance. But recent studies suggest a more complex relationship between IQ and EQ. Self-confidence, stress management, and motivation are non-cognitive abilities that significantly impact your ability to perform your job. And learning to leverage both is integral to leading a successful and fulfilling life in and outside the office. 

Imagine you’re a product development expert fluent in several programming languages. You’re also a skilled data analyst who keeps up with UX design trends. All these technical skills mean you efficiently and effectively do your job. But it’s your high EQ that makes you an understanding and easy-to-work-with teammate. You notice when coworkers need a morale boost, show appreciation so everyone feels valued, and actively listen to better understand others’ thoughts and feelings. 

Although your technical and emotional skills are valuable, hiring managers may be more inclined to place weight on the latter. Regarding EQ versus IQ in leadership, leaders with strong emotional intelligence tend to lead more successful teams. These leaders nurture healthier workplace environments with higher productivity, employee retention, and profitability.

EQ and IQ tests to measure your abilities

Testing your EQ and IQ is a great way to see where you stand and develop a plan to improve your emotional and cognitive skills. Here are a few EQ and IQ tests to get you started.

The Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale

Alfred Binet and Théodore Stanford created the first formal intelligence test for the United States. The original version was an individual intelligence assessment that calculated the ratio between a person’s mental and chronological age. The current edition tests individuals on:

• Fluid reasoning

• Knowledge

• Quantitative reasoning

• Visuospatial processing

• Working memory

The test includes a mixture of verbal and non-verbal tasks, with scores based on comparisons to the performance of one’s peers.

The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Daniel Wechsler originally developed the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS) to measure mental health and psychiatric afflictions. Now, the test measures human intelligence, assessing the following skills:

• Vocabulary

• Comprehension

• Arithmetic

• Reasoning skills

• Verbal comprehension

• Perceptual reasoning

• Working memory

• Processing speed.

The Woodcock-Johnson Test for Cognitive Abilities

The Woodcock-Johnson Test for Cognitive Abilities is a comprehensive set of assessments used to test gifted individuals. Over twenty subtests combine to measure an individual’s cognitive abilities and achievements by assessing subjects like mathematics, auditory processing, and short-term memory. 

Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test 

The MSCEIT measures emotional intelligence based on one’s ability to perceive, comprehend, act on, and manage emotional stimuli. The test provides useful insights into how you approach or avoid emotional situations, and these insights might help you improve your interpersonal relationships and communication style.

Situational Tests for Emotional Management (STEMs)

Different social situations and contexts often tease out different reactions. Coworker conflicts might require a unique approach from client conflicts. 

STEMs measure how your reactions change depending on the context, like how you approach family versus friends, address calm versus heated situations, and shift focus to and from emotion-inducing stimuli. Taking one of these tests might offer you the insights needed to self-regulate when more triggering scenarios occur. 

5 ways to improve your EQ and IQ

Whether it’s problem-solving or active listening, you can always improve to reach your full potential. Here are five ways to improve your EQ and IQ: 

1. Continuously learn: When you learn new information, your brain creates new neural connections. This is because your brain has neuroplasticity — it’s malleable. So, whether you’re studying a coding language or reading up on negotiation techniques, the more you study, the stronger the connections become, helping you retain this information and new skill set. 

2. Prioritize a good sleep schedule: Anyone who’s attempted to push through brain fog after a lousy night’s rest can attest to the power of sleep. A regular, healthy sleep schedule improves your brain’s ability to process information. And quality REM sleep (the middle of your sleep cycle when your brain is most active) improves your creative problem-solving skills by solidifying associations between unrelated ideas. More shut-eye might be the answer if you struggle to solve an important problem. 

3. Exercise with music: Listening to music and exercising are both associated with improved cognitive abilities. Try combining the two to enjoy further improvement while also potentially enjoying your workout more.

4. Write down your ideas: Journaling can help you process your thoughts and work through challenges. To improve your EQ, write down your emotions throughout the day, joining with behaviors you think they cause. Review these entries regularly to better understand the way you tick. And to improve your IQ, use your journaling practice to problem-solve complex issues, perhaps creating pros and cons lists or working through mathematical problems. 

5. Seek professional help: Life coaches and mental health professionals can build effective and thoughtful action plans and offer novel strategies to try out. They can also hold you accountable so you feel more motivated to reach your self-improvement goals.

Work smarter, not harder

When it comes to EQ versus IQ, there’s little debate: they’re both important. And your ability to improve upon and leverage both skills determines how you perform in every area of your life. 

Consider taking EQ and IQ tests to determine your baseline. Then set SMART improvement goals — objectives that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. With a little self-reflection and some strategic goal-setting, you’ll be well on your way to developing high emotional and intellectual proficiencies.