I was recently
asked how, as a leader, I deal with emotions, both personally and
professionally? My view on emotions is that we all have them unless we happen
to come from the planet Vulcan. I am a man of faith who also happens to be a
minister by profession working within the organization of the Church.
Therefore, personally, professionally and organizationally, I tend to view the
subject of emotions from a Christian biblical perspective. Through the lens of
Scripture, much can be said about the fact that as created human beings we are
also created emotional beings. The idea that emotions are to be “checked at the
door” or suppressed or denied is not a biblical one. Emotions in and of
themselves are neither good nor bad; what we personally do with them may or may
not be. The Bible is charged with all kinds of emotions: fear, anger, love,
jealousy, passion, etc. But, while acknowledged and even celebrated as part of
what makes us uniquely created in the image of God, we are directed toward the
proper expression of emotion. For example…
“Be angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath” (Eph 4:26).
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for
those who persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in
heaven (Mt 5:43-45).
Over the past
100 years or so, much has been learned and asserted as to the importance of IQ.
IQ stands for Intelligence Quotient and refers to a person’s natural cognitive
reasoning ability. For many years persons possessing a high IQ were thought to
have the greater capacity to be successful because they are so smart. However,
in recent years the term EQ—Emotional Quotient, also called “emotional intelligence,”
has been coined to represent one’s ability to discern and handle situations and
personalities on an emotional level, not just a fact based level. In fact,
recent studies have shown that the most successful business leaders are not
those with the highest IQ’s but those possessing high EQ’s; and unlike IQ,
which is more innate and remains relatively constant over a person’s lifetime,
EQ is something that can be learned and continually improved upon over one’s
lifetime.
While the
recognition of the value of EQ seems
to be relatively new, Stein and Book (2006) suggest that emotional intelligence
has evolved along with humankind and assert that, “emotional intelligence is as
old a time” (p. 15), and that comparatively, IQ is a new construct (p. 16).[*]
Perhaps the recent awareness of EQ is actually the recognition of a part of our
human make up that has been suppressed and underdeveloped in an age where we
have perceived ourselves to be more enlightened. Perhaps more than the
intellectual part of our being, it is the spiritual part of our created being
as humans, that helps us to relate more effectively on an emotional level.
In today’s
world there is much emphasis on the importance of education and the development
of intellect. There is even a great deal of attention given to the importance
of physical fitness. However, EQ is not something many people have even heard
of, much less pursued. I would argue that an emphasis upon personally
developing ourselves physically and intellectually while ignoring our emotional
and spiritual development is to handicap our total development as God has
created us. Certainly it is subject for leaders to consider and explore. I’m
sure we will be revisiting the subjects of EQ and spiritual health in future
posts.
[*] Stein,
Steven J. and Book, Howard E. (2006). The
EQ Edge, Emotional Intelligence and Your Success. Mississauga: Josey-Bass,
and Imprint of John Wiley & Sons
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