An Intelligence Test (1 of 2)

Hello...Kevin D. Walls here. You probably know by now Darren Hardy is my personal development adviser; and if you went to the Ambit Simulcast you he was raised by a single father who was a university football coach by profession (and personality). His dad was only 24 years old when Darren was born so he only knew how to parent like he coached.

Like Tom Hanks said in the movie A League of Their Own, “There’s no crying in baseball!”

Well, there is definitely no crying in football… so there was no crying in Darren's household.

You got used to hearing two things in his house: either “Stop your sniveling and tough it out” or “Keep crying and I’ll give you something to cry about!” The last one always baffled him. If he was already crying he probably already came up with a pretty good reason.

Anyway, the point is he was taught to control his emotions, to disconnect from what he was feeling and handle most situations mentally.

I have found many people of my generation, and most definitely those before me, were raised with very similar beliefs. The term “emotional” came to mean weak, out of control and even childish.

“Don’t be a baby!” we say to the little boy who is crying on the playground. “Leave him alone! Let him work it out!” and we admonish the little girl who runs to help the little boy.

On the other hand, our abilities to memorize and problem-solve, to spell words and do mathematical calculations, are easily measured on written tests and slapped as grades on report cards.

Ultimately, these intellectual abilities dictate which college will accept us and which career paths we‘re advised to follow.

However, this is the conundrum we are discovering: intellectual intelligence (IQ) is usually less important in determining how successful we will become than emotional intelligence (EQ).

We all know people who are academically brilliant and yet are socially inept and unsuccessful. What they are missing is emotional intelligence.

This will become more and more true in the structure of this new economy; according to Mr. Hardy. Mr. Hardy says, "We are now living in a more social economy, where transparent communication, authenticity and social proof are the key values.

Success in the new economy is far more relational than it is intellectual. And when it comes to human relationships, it will be your emotional intelligence, not your intellectual intelligence, that will become your advantage."

Research vets this out:
The U.S. Air Force started selecting recruiters primarily based on their EQ scores and not their academic background. They found a three-fold increase in success by those they hired based on EQ scores alone. This gave them an immediate gain of $3 million annually, and led to the secretary of defense ordering all branches of the armed forces to adopt this procedure in recruitment and selection—something you  might consider as well when recruiting for your business.

Partners in a multinational consulting firm were tested for the difference in their EQ. Those who scored higher delivered $1.2 million more than their counterparts—a 139% incremental gain.

Jobs of medium complexity (sales clerks, mechanics) are 12 times more productive if they have high EQ. Those in the most complex jobs and who are top performers (insurance salespeople, account managers) are 127% more productive than an average performer.
At L’Oreal, sales agents with high EQ sold $91,370 more than other salespeople did, for a net revenue increase of $2,558,360—plus they were 63% less likely for turnover.

Bottom line is competency research in over 200 companies and organizations worldwide suggests success at work is about one-third technical skill and cognitive ability while two-thirds is due to emotional competence.

In top leadership positions, over four-fifths of the difference is due to emotional competence.

Now that you know how important this topic and competency is, in the next post Mr. Hardy will offer you a suggestion on how to test if you are being a “jerk at work/business” and in other areas of your life. You might be surprised at what you didn’t know about yourself!

How were you raised? Praised for intellectual accomplishments or emotional development? Share your experiences in the comments below.