Emotional intelligence

Yesterday at training we went over an Emotional Intelligence test that we took last week in preparation for this conference. Have any of you taken this test? It is "intended to help people better understand their emotional and social functioning."* According to the instructor, people with a high EQ (emotional quotient) are more likely to be successful than people with lower EQs but higher IQs.

A high EQ is supposed to show leadership ability. As my program is supposed to prep us for leadership positions in our future, we take the test and work on the areas that are weak. Some of my results were expected, some of my results were a surprise. My lowest areas were in:

1. Self-regard. I am somewhat hard on myself or self-critical and there is a dissatisfaction with my physical appearance. To all of you that have been reading this blog, you already know that I am not currently happy with my body. This was NOT a surprise.

2. Emotional self-awareness. While my score was average, the report said that I sometimes have problems expressing my attitudes towards others. I would also agree with this. Sometimes I am not very in tune with my feelings and make silly decisions because of it.

3. Stress tolerance. My results indicated inconsistency in effectively withstanding adverse events and stressful situations. Ummm really? I survived law school and the bar exam and I have problems with stress? Yes I do get butterflies and anxious in certain situations, but I don't freak out. No one can TELL that I am anxious on the outside.

4. Optimism. My results say that at times I feel pessimistic. "It is likely that she assesses prospects of the future by keeping expectations relatively low." I was really surprised about this result. I think that I am a pretty optimistic person.....but I guess that at times I try to set the bar on expectations low so that I am not devastated by bad results.


My highest areas were:

1. Assertiveness. I have no problem voicing my beliefs or opinions. No surprise there. I'm not exactly someone who "holds back." :-)

2. Self-actualization. Basically this is that I am achieving what I want to achieve. This is definitely correct as I am working right where I have wanted to work since I started law school.

3. Empathy, social responsibility, and interpersonal relationships. I am able to appreciate the feelings of others, I actively contribute to the community at large (at my job, volunteer, etc.), and that I am able to form agreeable relationships and alliances. This is not a surprise.

4. Problem solving. Yeah, ummm I went to law school so I better have these skills!

5. Happiness. Yep, I would say that I am pretty happy and satisfied with life.

Want to take the test yourself? I found a free EQ test online that is a bit different from the one that I took, but it should work: http://www.myskillsprofile.com/questionnaire.php. Let me know if you have any surprises!


*According to the introduction of the report.