When thinking about a balanced and competent individual or when wanting to hire someone to get the job done what qualities come to mind? Previously the emphasis was on IQ grade point averages SAT scores and mostly academic qualifications. However how much does a university degree or numerical averages tell us about a person's ability to work effectively with others deal with stress be creative solve problems communicate clearly and resolve conflict?

In the last few decades there's been a shift in ideology and experts such as Dr. Roger Highfield say 'IQ tests are misleading because they do not accurately reflect intelligence since a minimum of three different exams are needed to measure someone's brainpower.' Professor Carol Dweck from Stanford University goes on to say that 'A person's IQ score can be a permanent label that inhibits growth future learning & development.'

Recently Ernst & Young removed degree classification from entry criteria as there's 'no evidence' university equals success. Maggie Stilwell Ernst & Young's managing partner for talent said 'Academic qualifications will still be taken into account and indeed remain an important consideration when assessing candidates as a whole but will no longer act as a barrier to getting a foot in the door. Our own internal research of over 400 graduates found that screening students based on academic performance alone was too blunt an approach to recruitment. It found no evidence to conclude that previous success in higher education correlated with future success in subsequent professional qualifications undertaken." Doing so may result in companies missing out on key talent who may have other skills and demonstrate competencies needed to succeed at a particular job such as Emotional Intelligence a critical skill to person's wellbeing and achievements.

After three decades of research on emotional intelligence we know that yes academic achievements might land you the job but they aren't what will get you promoted or encourage your team's cohesiveness. The greatest leaders have the ability to move us and that takes emotional intelligence. If you don't have it no matter how much of a genius or star you are at work you're more likely to derail from your path than stay on it.

So what is this super power that is sought after by many and missing in many more? To begin with it actually isn't a 'super power' at all. Its observable identifiable measurable and can be learnt and developed. Essentially Emotional Intelligence is a behavioural skill set or learned capacity to recognise utilise control and express one's emotions in a constructive manner to manage interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.

This concept sits on 4 main pillars that are: self-awareness self-management social awareness and relationship management. Strengthening these four dimensions is likely to positively impact not only your personal but also your professional life.

Main attributes of Emotional Intelligence are:

> Self-awareness - Aristotle said that self-knowledge is the beginning of wisdom and I couldn't agree more. Self-awareness is when you know your strengths and developmental areas you recognise your own emotions and what triggers a positive or negative mood. You are aware of your core values that impact your attitude and conscious of limiting beliefs that may sometimes hinder your development.

> Self-management - You're able to manage your emotions in functional ways take initiative are adaptable to change and follow through on commitments. You know that you have choices when it comes to reacting or reflecting and aren't simply hijacked by negative emotions or situational variables.

> Social awareness - You have a wonderful ability to observe and listen. You recognise and understand the emotions needs and concerns of others through both verbal and non-verbal communication.

> Relationship management - developing and sustaining relationships is one of your strengths and you do this through carefully considering your needs as well as the needs of others in order to have stable and fulfilling associations.

According to Dr. Travis Bradberry the author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0

'Intelligent people have a reputation for making dumb mistakes especially in situations that require common sense. The simplicity of these situations and the abundant intelligence of those who tend to muck them up can be downright comical. Shane Frederick at Yale University was among the first to conduct research that explained why rational thinking and intelligence don't always tend to go hand in hand. In his studies Frederick gave people simple problems to solve like this one:

A bat and ball cost a dollar and ten cents. The bat costs a dollar more than the ball. How much does the ball cost?'

Dr Bradberry goes on to explain that 'Smart people are more prone to silly mistakes because of blind spots in how they use logic. These blind spots exist because smart people tend to be overconfident in their reasoning abilities. That is they're so used to being right and having quick answers that they don't even realise when they're blowing it by answering without thinking things through.'

The impact and value of emotional intelligence therefore is that it works with other cognitive capabilities to ensure that you're not only smart but also reflective and wise.

Dr Samineh I. Shaheem is an assistant professor of psychology learning & development specialist and the owner of Life Clubs UAE. Please forward your thoughts/ suggestions for future articles to