Why Emotional Intelligence Is The New IQ When It Comes To Success

Emotional intelligence is pivotal when it comes to success.

A woman with blonde hair wearing a light blue shirt smiles softly at the camera. She is indoors with a blurred background.

Put simply, emotional intelligence is the ability to not only understand the emotions swirling around inside you, but also to regulate them. You know what you are feeling, why you are feeling it, and how it might influence your behavior, if you allow it to. Emotional intelligence—or EQ for short—also covers your ability to identify and empathize with how others are feeling.

So, how does having high emotional intelligence help you to succeed? Well, in these ten ways for starters.

1. Understanding people improves leadership skills.

A woman in a white turtleneck sweater gestures while holding a smartphone, engaging in conversation with two people whose backs are partly visible. They are in a bright office setting with desks and chairs in the background.

Empathy goes a long way in finding the right way to manage conflicts, motivate others, and foster a positive environment. Everyone that you meet has some level of needs and wants that should be considered when trying to meaningfully lead. People perform best when they are treated with respect, all of which you figure out through emotional intelligence.

2. A high EQ improves decision-making ability.

A man with dark hair and a beard wearing a burgundy shirt looks thoughtful, resting his chin on his hand. The background features a bookshelf with folders and a small plant on top.

Emotional intelligence helps you assess situations calmly and manage your biases. By being aware of your biases, you can minimize their influence while trying to make the right decisions. Quality, informed decisions make or break one’s ability to succeed. More importantly, it’s easier to make these decisions under pressure because you already know where your strengths and weaknesses are.

3. People with high emotional intelligence communicate better.

A woman with glasses and a ponytail sits indoors, wearing a green turtleneck. She appears engaged in conversation, with a blurred hand gesturing in the foreground. The setting seems to be an office or casual meeting space.

The way you deliver a message is far, far more important than the message itself. A person with high EQ understands that their message needs to be delivered in such a way that other people will hear and receive it. Brutal honesty is a good example. A lot of people won’t hear the honesty in brutal honesty because it puts them on the defensive. Tactful honesty is often the better approach if you want to be heard.

4. Strong relationships are built on emotional intelligence.

Two businessmen in suits shaking hands in a bright office setting. One man is smiling, and a table with documents and a glass of water is visible. Background shows large windows and a shelf.

Emotional intelligence enables people to build and maintain meaningful connections. Understanding and respect go a long way in developing healthy relationships because you can better recognize a person’s wants and motives, and respond accordingly. People want to be around others who try to understand and respect their point of view. It’s hard to do that if you are so wrapped up in your own feelings that you can’t hear them.

5. Conflict resolution is much easier.

A woman in a beige coat looks at her phone while speaking to a man in a blue blazer with crossed arms. They are outdoors near some plants, with a red mug visible on a table beside them.

People with high emotional intelligence are often able to navigate conflicts diplomatically by understanding the roots of disagreements. By understanding the roots of a disagreement, it’s easier to find compromises or strike mutually beneficial deals. Compromise can be hard because neither party is getting exactly what they want, but people with high EQ have a better chance of finding that middle ground.

6. Emotional intelligence keeps you adaptable.

A woman in a white shirt sits at a table in a cafe with her chin resting on her hands. She looks thoughtfully to the side, with a laptop and a cup on the table in front of her. The background is softly blurred.

The fast-paced world we live in requires adaptability to thrive. High emotional intelligence allows you to better understand the challenges you will inevitably face and adapt yourself to meeting them. If you understand yourself deeply, you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, and then you can act accordingly.

7. Increased self-awareness is developed by understanding emotions.

A man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a dark jacket, sits on wooden steps with his elbows resting on his knees and his hands clasped in front of his face, appearing deep in thought. The background features wooden railings and a blurred natural setting.

We all have emotional reactions to the world around us. No one is a robot. The ability to understand why you feel the way that you do gives you more information to work with. It should help you identify when you are making good decisions that are right for you, rather than acting rashly or even self-sabotaging your own success.

8. Emotional intelligence improves resilience.

A woman in a striped shirt and green pants stands indoors, smiling and holding a tablet. She is leaning against a concrete pillar in a modern office space with glass walls and colorful furniture in the background.

Success is built in resilience because few things ever go right on the first try. A person with an exceptional EQ can better shrug off these setbacks and not take their difficulties personally. By not staying upset about them, they are more able to learn from their failures, handle the disappointment with grace, and attack the problem with a more positive outlook.

9. Stress management is easier when you understand your emotions.

A man with short dark hair and a beard, wearing glasses and a brown t-shirt, stands against a light gray wall. He has his eyes closed and his hands crossed over his chest in a calm, meditative pose.

Most stress management tools are emotional management tools. Stress is the byproduct of emotional processes caused by your environment. That environment may be the workplace, family, or stressful events in your life that you need to navigate. You need the ability to maintain focus and productivity when you’re met with stressful, challenging circumstances. The pursuit of success is often stressful, but compartmentalizing that stress can stop it from bleeding into other areas of your life.

10. Emotional intelligence improves your work life.

A man in a business suit shakes hands with a woman in a white shirt in an office meeting room. Several colleagues in the background, seated at a table, smile and look on. The room has a large window, light-colored walls, and various office materials.

So many of the skills and reasons mentioned here affect your work life. There are many people who feel that hard skills and knowledge power success, and those things do matter. However, soft skills that are driven by emotional intelligence help you push past people who only have hard skills. The ability to communicate, get along with people, and find compromises all provide a significant edge in a competitive work environment which leads you to greater success.