Inc.com’s Jessica Stillman explores Richard Branson’s take on IQ and emotional intelligence.
“I think being emotionally intelligent is more important in every aspect of life — and this includes business. Being a good listener, finding empathy, understanding emotions, communicating effectively, treating people well, and bringing out the best is critical to success. It will also help you build a business that really understands people and solve their problems, and it will make for a happier and healthier team too,”
Any discussion of whether IQ or EQ matters more for success hinges on what you mean by success. If what you have in mind is becoming a Fields Medal-winning mathematician or world-leading theoretical physicist, exceptional intellectual horsepower is essential for success.
But if what you have in mind is building a profitable business, climbing the corporate ladder, and/or enjoying a happy, stable home life, there’s a very good chance that you should worry a lot more about maximizing your EQ.
In the field of entrepreneurship specifically, a massive analysis of the traits of 65,000 business owners — as well as the growth, profitability, and longevity of their companies — showed that high EQ was much more predictive of success than high IQ.Richard Branson Says EQ Is More Important Than IQ for Success. Science Suggests He’s Right
Branson did terribly in school but quite well for himself in life, thanks in part to his exceptional EQ.
