We see a 12th class Drop out being a millionaire and famous and on the other side we see a Ph.D. living a normal middle class life. Does IQ for Success is needed? There are many such examples we all see around us and makes us wonder – what is that which makes a person successful or unsuccessful?
No, high IQ is not the answer!
In recent times, there has been a lot of research and psychologists have come up with four types of intelligence that work in lives and contribute in making us whatever we become.
We all know about IQ (Intelligence Quotient)
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- It is the measure of our intellectual abilities. They reflect our cognitive skills, such as reasoning, logic, problem-solving, solving maths, memorizing things and recalling lessons.
IQ is most overhyped and gets an undue weightage. All parents want their children to possess high level of IQ to ensure good academia performance and hence a secured future in a job.
Yes, it’s required to have High IQ for success, but it alone cannot make one competent enough to excel in life. Let’s understand other types of Intelligence.
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- Emotional Quotient – EQ – it reflects on your ability to be responsible, disciplined, honest, humble, genuine, compassionate, considerate and keeping peace with others. In the nutshell, it’s your ability to use your emotions in a positive and constructive way.
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- Social Quotient – SQ – it reflects on your ability to build a personal and professional network of people and maintain it over a long period of time.
Most schools and societies just emphasize on improving IQ while playing down EQ and SQ.
It seen that people with High EQ and SQ move higher in life than those with high IQ but low EQ and SQ.
When you look at top political and business leaders across the world, you will find most of them possessing High EQ and SQ. Some notable people with high EQ include Mahatma Gandhi, Michael Jackson, David Beckham, Leonardo Di Caprio, Keanu Reeves and George Clooney and most of them possessed High SQ as well. Let’s take example of Microsoft, Bill Gates has people in his team whose IQ’s are much higher than him, but they are still employed by Bill Gates – so there are things beyond IQ for success that works better.
While the EQ reflects your Character, the SQ reflects your Aura. Though some people are born with the traits to sail through the journey of life, however, one can develop EQ and SQ through conscious and persistent efforts.
Now there is 4th important paradigm of Intelligence.
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- The Adversity Quotient – AQ – It’s the measure of your ability to handle tough phases in your life and come out of it without losing your peace of mind. During Pandemic, we all faced adversities – some faced small, some faced big. However, the way we responded to the adversity made all the difference. We saw some people committing suicide, in depression and some never gave up and found a solution to the adverse situations. As a matter of fact, some found opportunities in adversities. AQ is nothing but the measure of your resilience.
Parents must prepare their children in all ways. IQ is important, but it’s essential to have life skills to progress well and lead a happy life. Help them develop all the FOUR intelligence. Make them independent by being multifaceted human beings.
Life is random and it will throw its own unexpected challenges.
Do not try to define their path, prepare them for the roadblocks so that they can grow, rise and live happily!
