Is your level of Emotional Intelligence enough to make you successful?

As freelancers, we’re constantly looking for new clients to do better work and to ultimately earn more.

Before acquiring my current lineup of clients, I had to go through a ton of bad/horrible ones before finding the folks that I am proud to say I do business with today.

Clients, are people. And to manage your clients well, you have to understand how to handle people well. And if you don’t, well unfortunately, having a kick-ass design portfolio isn’t going to help you get that gig.

This where having a high level of Emotional intelligence or EQ comes in to good use.

Image © Todd Fong

So what is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence, or EQ is the ability to know yourself and be able to identify, understand, control, evaluate, and emphatize with others in order to react positively within the situation and surroundings you are in.

For self-employed freelancers like myself, this becomes a crucial skill to have, as you’ll interact with all types of different people on a daily basis.

According to researchers from Harvard Business School, having a high level of EQ is in fact more important than having high IQ (intellectual intelligence).

The 3 characteristics of Emotional intelligence

Self-awareness – You are aware and in control of your own feelings and emotions. You are intuitive and understand your thoughts and behavior. You are also a motivated individual who know your own strengths and weaknesses. In addition, you have the self-confidence to take initiative, follow through and adapt to changing circumstances.

Image © Moyan Brenn

Social empathy – You are able to understand the emotions, wants, and concerns of others. You easily pick up on their emotional cues, feel comfortable socially, and recognize the power dynamics in a group or organization.

People Skills – You know how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

How this relates to you?

People with high EQ are generally good at interpreting, understanding, and acting upon emotions. They are fairly comfortable with dealing with social or emotional conflicts, expressing their feelings, and dealing with emotional situations.

So as designers, our success depends on our ability to listen to what our bosses or clients want and need. We can also identify what is expected of us by being aware of their body language and facial expressions.

What is your EQ level?

To reach a high level of Emotional intelligence, you will need to find out what level you’re currently on. There are way too many tests online, so I’ve put together a few sites that I found to be quite helpful and accurate.

Institute for Health and Human Potential

Test Your Emotional Intelligence

Goleman’s EQ Test

It’s also important to remember that if you tested low, you can always improve your level by taking into account the areas which had low scores. Each of us are intrinsically born with some level, so take into account your strong points and continue to grow and develop these skill. I guarantee it’ll help you in business and your day-t0-day life.