The Progressive Emotional Intelligence Model
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Why is there a need for a new emotional intelligence model when there are several out there already?
Emotional intelligence (EQ) is VERY important.
Research has shown EQ to be 2x as important compared to IQ or technical skills (Daniel Goleman and Travis Bradberry)
For senior leaders, 90% of the difference between star performers and average performers could be attributed to EQ factors (Goleman).
Emotional intelligence is complex. Many people have heard of it but may not truly understand what it is.
Existing models tend to be too theoretical to be actionable.
With the rise of artificial intelligence (AI), emotional intelligence will become even more important because it is what differentiates us as humans.
Emotional intelligence, unlike IQ, can be developed. The question is what do we need to do to develop EQ?
That is what the progressive emotional intelligence model aims to address. It has taken me about a decade to figure out how to effectively develop emotional intelligence. If we can take steps to develop the different components of EQ in a certain order, it becomes easier to develop EQ.
The progressive EQ model builds on the work of Daniel Goleman, a prominent figure in the emotional intelligence space. Before we break down the progressive EQ model, let’s briefly review his work.
Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence Model
Daniel Goleman is a psychologist who’s groundbreaking #1 bestseller Emotional Intelligence (1995), revolutionized how we think about intelligence.
In his 1998 Harvard Business Review article, “What Makes a Leader?” Goleman breaks emotional intelligence down into 5 components:
Self-awareness
Self-regulation
Motivation
Empathy
Social Skill
Another way of looking at Emotional Intelligence is using these four domains or quadrants:
The Progressive EQ Model
Claritas’ Progressive EQ Model provides a way to progressively build up the key components that make up Emotional Intelligence.
Step 0: Surround the Process with Empathy
Empathy is a critical part of emotional intelligence. Otherwise, even a sociopath could have high emotional intelligence! Remember to be kind to yourself throughout the process of building up your emotional intelligence. Empathy encompasses being kind to both yourself and to others. There is a difference between discernment and judgement. When we judge others, we are not being empathetic.
Step 1: Build Self-Awareness
Where should we start if we want to build emotional intelligence?
To build emotional intelligence, start with increasing self-awareness.
By increasing our self-awareness, we reduce our blind spots and increase the open area in the Johari Window. Johari comes from an abbreviation of the first two names from psychologists Joseph Luft and Harrington Ingham that created this model.
Step 2: Increase Self-Regulation and Build Social Awareness
Once we can increase self-awareness, it become easier to self-regulate our behavior.
It is very difficult to self-regulate one’s behavior when someone is not aware of why they are acting a certain way or what their triggers are.
In the process of better understanding yourself, you will learn how you are different than other people. This naturally leads to increased social awareness.
Step 3: Build Social Skills and Improve Relationship Management
Oftentimes, step 3 is where people want to start because relationship conflicts and low social skills are often the most obvious symptom of a lack of emotional intelligence.
But when we try to start by addressing the symptoms, this is the most difficult place to begin.
We need to start with first addressing the root causes that can be discovered and addressed in step 1 and step 2.
When someone is struggling to maintain a good working relationship with their colleagues, it is often due to lack of social awareness or self-regulation.
How to Develop Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence cannot effectively be developed through knowledge alone by reading a book or going to a training course. It requires insight and practice.
Insights are a very powerful and effective way to increase self-awareness. My favorite way of generating insights is by leveraging assessments. The best assessments are insightful and help us become aware of what our triggers are and why we may behave differently in some situations.
The knowledge that we learn, including that from this article, must be converted into practice for it to result in lasting positive change. One of the most effective ways of doing this involves coaching. A professional coach will help guide as well as hold someone accountable through their transformation journey. People that go through a coaching program with a cohort can increase their success rates by up to 500% due to the social accountability that the group provides.
Dr. Travis Bradberry’s research has found that people with high EQ make on average $29,000 more each year than people with low EQ. The link between EQ and earnings are so direct, every point increase in EQ correlates to $1,300 additional annual salary (Emotional Intelligence 2.0).
If you are interested in developing your emotional intelligence, reach out to Claritas about the 4-month virtual EQ Bootcamp. Certain sessions may be tailored to specific groups such as Technical Leaders.
Claritas’ EQ Bootcamp uses a combination of assessments, group and 1-on-1 coaching sessions, along with personal assignments to build EQ. Best of all it comes with a performance guarantee, if your EQ score does not improve after completing the coursework, all course fees minus the deposit will be refunded!
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