From a young age you are led to believe that the more intelligent you are, the more successful you will be. For starters, throughout the education system you are prepared for one set of exams, after another, under the impression that the brainier you are the better your grades will be. However, this isn’t necessarily the case.
Though it’s true that your IQ may have an impact on your career success to some extent, it isn’t the be all and end all when it comes to success, as other factors such as your ability to communicate effectively also play a large role. In fact, your emotional intelligence (EI) could be just as important, if not more important than your intellectual intelligence and employers are actively seeking EI qualities in candidates.
So if you’re not a natural genius, no need to worry, here are a few qualities that may help you achieve success (courtesy of Headway Capital):
The BIG 5 personality qualities for success:
- Conscientiousness
- Openness
- Agreeableness
- Emotional Stability
- Extraversion
How do these influence success?
- Individuals who had higher levels of these traits were more likely to achieve higher grades.
- 85% of financial success is generated from people skills.
- People prefer to do business with people they like and trust.
8 traits that are more important than IQ:
1) Self-regulation
A level of self awareness and the ability to control your emotions, means that you are able to respond reasonably to negative situations, rather than allowing emotions to take over. The ability to think before acting is incredibly important.
2) Growth mindset
Self-belief and a willingness to say yes to new opportunities is a really good attitude to have when it comes to progressing in your career. Set-backs should be seen as learning curves to move on past them.
3) Resilience
In order to learn from mistakes or set-backs and progress, it is essential that you know how to accept that something went wrong and then do things differently, rather than losing motivation.
4) Passion
Pursuing something that you are passionate about will give you that extra motivation to do your best, that knowledge won’t provide alone.
5) Empathy
If you can put yourself in other people’s shoes and understand their stand points, it will make it much easier to form relationships and work cooperatively in a team.
6) Conscientiousness
Having the ability to stay organised, plan ahead and maintain your focus will ensure that tasks are done efficiently.
7) Openness to experience
An eagerness to learn new skills and try new things will reflect much better on you than if you were reluctant to broaden your horizons.
8) Social skills
Networking and functioning in a team can be some of the most important factors in succeeding in your career. People want to work with people who are approachable and can are good communicators.
Top image: Pablo
