Research

Facts about Emotional Intelligence:

• Research shows that people with higher emotional self-awareness demonstrate up to 10 other key competencies, while those with low self-awareness may only have 1-2 competencies.

• Studies have found that the higher a person's level of emotional intelligence (which is built on self-awareness), the better their job performance and the more committed they are to their organization.

• Leaders with higher emotional intelligence have more satisfied direct reports and lower employee turnover rates. Employees are more satisfied working for bosses with strong self-awareness and people skills.

• Organizations value emotional intelligence, especially self-awareness, even for highly technical roles like data analysts. The ability to understand oneself and relate to others is crucial for success.

• A 15-year longitudinal study found that people with higher emotional intelligence, rooted in self-awareness, ended up more satisfied in their personal relationships later in life.

• The research clearly demonstrates that self-awareness is a foundational skill that enables better performance, relationships, and overall life satisfaction. It's a critical component of emotional intelligence that pays dividends both professionally and personally.

One common misbelief is that cognitive ability and technical skills alone are enough for success, especially in leadership roles.

The Misbelief: Technical expertise and a high IQ are the primary drivers of performance and career advancement.

Why it's Wrong: Daniel Goleman's research clearly shows that this is not the case. In fact, the higher you go in an organization, the more emotional intelligence competencies like self-awareness become the distinguishing factors for outstanding performance rather than just raw cognitive ability.

The Truth and Evidence:

• Studies of confidence models at top organizations found that 80-90% of the competencies that set apart high performers from average ones were based on emotional intelligence, not just technical skills.
• Even in highly analytical roles like data analysis, the best performers had the highest emotional intelligence, not just the strongest technical chops.
• Leaders with higher emotional intelligence, rooted in self-awareness, have more satisfied and committed direct reports, as well as lower turnover rates.

The evidence demonstrates that self-awareness and other emotional intelligence abilities are critical for success, especially in leadership positions where you need to effectively manage yourself and your relationships with others. Technical mastery is important, but it's not enough on its own.

Dispelling this myth about the primacy of IQ and pure cognitive ability is a key part of making the case for why developing self-awareness and broader emotional intelligence is so vital, both for individual and organizational performance.