Think back to the last time you purchased a major item from a salesperson—perhaps a car, or a large appliance. In the final analysis, was the salesperson’s success based more upon their encyclopedic knowledge of the product’s specs and technical information, or did their ability to close the deal come from something less tangible, like the way they put you at ease, or made you laugh? If your willingness to sign on the dotted line was influenced by their likeability, or the way you connected with them, then odds are that the salesperson had an Einsteinian EQ, or Emotional Intelligence Quotient. Recent research suggests that a high EQ is far more important than a lofty IQ in determining our success at connecting with and influencing others—two pillars of prosperity in the legislative realm.
So what exactly is Emotional Intelligence? Peter Salovey of Yale University and John Mayer of the University of New Hampshire define EQ as “the ability to engage in sophisticated information processing about one’s own and others’ emotions, and the ability to use the information as a guide to thinking and behavior.” In less academic terms, EQ is a heightened awareness of the emotional temperature of yourself and others at any given moment, coupled with the skill to effectively regulate the emotional thermostat in the room to produce a positive outcome. Unlike Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which is our capacity to cognitively process and utilize rational data, EQ is our ability to understand and make use of emotional cues and information.
So while IQ is essential when it comes to solving complex problems, EQ reigns supreme when we need to handle difficult circumstances, or interact with challenging personalities.
EQ theorists break Emotional Intelligence into five key components:
- Self-awareness: a constant consciousness about our own shifting emotional state, and the emotional status of those around us.
- Self-regulation: the ability to respond to, and control, any change in our emotional environment.
- Motivation: the capacity to redirect our emotional state towards optimism and commitment so that we can achieve our goals no matter what emotions may be provoked by challenges or setbacks.
- Empathy: a recognition and appreciation of the emotional experience of others in order to increase one’s understanding of their perspective and point of view.
- Social skills: the ability to communicate, negotiate, and influence others through an emotional, not just rational, channel.
So why does having a high EQ matter? The short answer is that it makes us far more successful in our professional lives. A Harvard Business School study determined that EQ was twice as predictive of job success compared to IQ. A McClelland study compared two groups of plant managers—those who had undergone EQ training and those who had not—and found that grievances dropped by 80% in the more emotionally intelligent cohort. High EQ produces results well beyond what we can achieve with content knowledge or technical skill alone.
Placed into the context of the legislature, EQ assumes an even higher value. The legislature is primarily a relationship business. Sure, there are logical arguments and reams of data to be considered when constructing any piece of legislation, but the final success of any legislative action—from policy creation to constituent services—ultimately comes down to groups of people interacting together in an often emotionally charged environment. Those who can identify, understand and manage emotions in those moments are best equipped to motivate and influence all stakeholders (including themselves!) toward the most optimal outcome.
So how can we increase our EQ and become more emotionally intelligent? Well, like most things in life, it takes practice, practice, and more practice. But here are three easy things you can employ daily to pump up your own EQ score:
- Employ “The Pause.” When you sense that emotions are shifting in the moment (internally, or in others), force yourself to replace an immediate reaction with a short contemplation. Take a moment to gauge your own emotional temperature, and to empathize with the emotional state of others. This will allow your response to be better targeted, formulated, and communicated for maximum impact. If a constituent lashes out, employ “the pause.” If another member surges with enthusiasm for a policy position, employ “the pause.” In either case, your ability to successfully negotiate that charged moment will be greatly enhanced.
- Explore “The Why.” Wharton professor Adam Grant says that most of our negative emotional interactions with others are a result of what he calls “the perspective gap,” an inability to see how others have arrived at their position or point-of-view. This gap is especially prevalent in the legislature, where political polarization often hampers our capacity to step into the shoes of others. One great technique for exploring “the why” comes from writer Preston Ni, who suggests completing the sentence “it must not be easy…” whenever we encounter challenging people. So if a member is particularly demanding, a staffer might note that “it must not be easy to be under this much pressure so late in the session.” Or if a constituent fires off a series of hostile emails about a lack of services, a member would be wise to consider that “it must not be easy to be dependent on public systems.” Both examples seek to explore “the why” behind a challenging behavior, which automatically reduces the perspective gap, while increasing one’s ability to respond effectively to the situation.
- Exercise “The Vision.” Learn to see every emotional interaction as an opportunity to learn something new about yourself, and others. Every time an emotion shifts, a new data point emerges, giving us new information about our own (and others’) fears, motivations, and desires. True wisdom lies in our ability to connect that new data to our past experiences in order to better manage, connect with, and influence those we interact with regularly.
The legislature is fundamentally about solving human problems, which involves a perilous navigation of constantly shifting emotional landscapes. Those who equip themselves with the compass of EQ—the ability to understand, connect with, and influence the emotions of themselves and others—are far better prepared to cross that challenging terrain with an emotionally satisfying smile on their face.