Tune up your EQ

There was a time when a high IQ would get you to the top of the career ladder.

Not anymore.

Effective decision makers must masterfully manage their emotions. This joke shows you why.

A priest, a drunk and an engineer are facing the guillotine. Each one is asked in turn how he wants to die, face up or face down. The priest is first to go the block. He says he wants die face up so can spend his last moments looking up to heaven. Down comes the blade, there’s a hitch and it stops 6 inches from his neck.

The executioner decides that it’s a divine intervention and decides to free him.

The drunk is next on the block. He wisely decides to go with a winner and make the same choice as the priest. Six inches from his neck the blade stops, he gasps and he’s allowed to go free as well.

Then it’s the engineer’s turn. He’s smart enough to go with a winning strategy as well. As he lies there watching the blade come crashing down, he gets an “ah-ha” moment. “I think I know what’s wrong with it !!!” he cries out in delight. “The cable’s binding right here—”

The engineer used his high IQ, but failed to take account of the situation in which he was using it. He sabotaged himself and the results were fatal.

Emotional Intelligence helps you incorporate emotions into your decision making to make you more effective. Don’t lose your head, use your EQ to make the most appropriate use of your intellect!

Can you remember a time when you used your IQ in a way that didn’t work for you?

This article is part of the EQ 101 series.

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