The average person is aware that he or she has an intelligence quotient, or IQ, but most people are not aware that they also have an emotional quotient, or EQ. Just as the IQ is a measure of one's intellectual intelligence, the EQ measures the level of emotional intelligence that an individual has-that intelligence that enables one to understand not only one's own but others' feelings, as well as the emotional components and implications of people's behavior. Emotional intelligence expert Daniel Goleman (2006, pp. 36, 37, 41) refers to it as "a different kind of intelligence," pointing out that these "people skills" are what set people apart from the Star Trek character Data, who lacks humanity and thus is unable to arrive at the best human solution in situations.
It may at first be difficult to figure out what differentiates EQ from IQ. Steven J. Stein and Howard Book (2006, p. 13), authors of The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success, suggest writing down the name of a mentor that has had the greatest positive influence on your life and making a list of six of that individual's attributes that made him or her such a positive influence. They then suggest examining the list to determine how many of the attributes fit into each of two categories-the IQ categories of "high intelligence, expert strategist, financial wizard, and creative legalist" and the EQ categories of "treats me with respect, is interested in me and my career, shows integrity, is honest, listens deeply, and delivers difficult feedback well" (Stein & Book, 2006, p. 13). The authors contend that performing this exercise will make it clear that EQ is equally or more important than IQ (Stein & Book, 2006, p. l3). The emotionally intelligent person has an awareness of others' needs and feelings and has the capacity to build "cooperative, constructive and mutually satisfying relationships" as well as managing "personal, social, and environm...