Can emotional intelligence be cultivated as an adult?

This was a deep and insightful conversation with three guys who innately have an interest in how we interact as humans. We covered a lot in ten minutes and I would love to hear your (the viewer/listener) thoughts and responses.

 

Stewart Wiggins started this conversation by posing a different question: why are there so many bad leaders out there or bad managers?

 

Is the reason there are so many bad leaders because leadership training is trying to teach emotional intelligence and it’s not something you can learn? Maybe you can learn the behaviors that align with emotional intelligence but going through those motions doesn’t mean you have become emotionally intelligent.

 

George Rotsch believes we are thinking about emotional intelligence wrong. He compared it to math skills. Some people are really good a math. Other people aren’t as good; it doesn’t come easily to them. They can learn math. They can get better at it than they might be naturally but they are never going to be as good at math as someone for whom it just makes sense.

 

George believes the same is true of emotional intelligence. If you aren’t good at it, you can get better but it unlikely to ever come naturally to you. He put it succinctly: “We can teach it. We should respect it as a gift.”

 

Justin Dorsey agrees saying there is a cynic in his brain that says, “If you don’t get it, you don’t get it.” And he has seen that in trying to teach EQ from an HR stand point. The people who need it the most never think they are they ones who need it.

 

What do you think? Can EQ be taught/learned or is it a pipe dream?

 

Connect with the panelists:

Justin Dorsey: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-dorsey-sphr/

Background in corporate HR as well as in consulting. He has a Passion for People.

 

Stewart Wiggins: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stewart-wiggins/

Induna Advisors – where he offers Fractional Chief Operating Officer services and Brings resources together to help scale your business.

 

George Rotsch: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgerotsch/

He is the director of communications for Delaware Live and a Communication consultant with clients across the country

 

Dr Robyn Odegaard: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robynodegaard/

AKA Mental MacGyver. My doctorate is in organizational business psychology with a concentration in sport and performance. I provide luxury level, high performance support and coaching to executives, founders, celebrities and athletes.

 

Want a summary of Quick Hits plus the links to the LinkedIn pages of each of the panelist in your in-box every week? Let me know where to send it: https://drrobynodegaard.com/quick-hits-notifications/

 

#QuickHits are designed to exercise your brain by letting you listen in on an unscripted conversation to get other people's thoughts on pertinent subjects. If you would like to join a conversation or have a topic you would like to hear discussed, please message me. https://www.MentalMacGyver.com