Emotional Intelligence Testing vs Personality Testing
- LeverageEQ
- Mar 16, 2023
- 2 min read
Most people I speak to have, at some point in their career, undergone some form of personality psychometric testing in the workplace.
Whether it’s discovering you’re yellow vs red, or an ENFJ vs an ISTP, the self-awareness that a lot of these tests bring (alongside learning to recognise and respect difference amongst colleagues) can be highly beneficial.
But whilst personality and EQ do have some crossover when it comes to behavioural elements, research shows that the two are significantly different.
One of the main differences between the two is that according to personality theory, the personality traits that we possess tend to be ingrained in us by around the time we are 21 and remain fixed over time.
Emotional Intelligence skills, on the other hand, has been proven to be dynamic and changeable. In fact, effective coaching and training programmes have shown to increase a person’s EQ by up to 35% in certain areas, such as their stress tolerance.
Both personality testing and EQ testing help you to gain self-awareness and insight into your strengths and weaknesses, but where EQ testing has the edge is that it also offers you a real chance at development, in a measureable way.
Surely this provides organisations with far more value than simply assessing personality alone, and yet you see far less Emotional Intelligence testing in comparison to personality testing in the workplace.
At LeverageEQ, we are hoping to change that. We offer individuals and teams the chance to undertake the EQ-I 2.0, which is the world’s leading measurement tool for Emotional Intelligence. It looks at 15 different EQ competencies, including your stress tolerance, assertiveness, self-regard, and empathy.
We work with our clients to create bespoke packages, usually combining the assessment with elements of training and coaching to enable EQ development.
If you are interested in finding out more about, head over to Our Services page.
It's fascinating how much impact individual differences have on team cohesion and personal productivity. Recognizing these nuances isn't just about labels; it's about leveraging unique strengths and anticipating potential communication styles for better collaboration. Often, the challenge lies in finding a reliable, scientifically-backed framework to systematically assess and understand these core personality traits. For anyone looking to delve deeper into this, exploring a comprehensive Big Five personality assessment can offer profound insights into one's own behavioral patterns and those of others.
Your distinction between fixed personality traits and dynamic Emotional Intelligence skills is crucial. Understanding that EQ can be significantly improved through coaching highlights its immense value for career development beyond just self-awareness. It really emphasizes why investing in understanding and developing EQ is so impactful. For those looking to gauge their current emotional intelligence or explore testing options, checking an emotional intelligence assessment could be a valuable next step.
Empathy is a skill you can develop. A good empathy test won't just give you a score, it will offer personalized reports with strengths and action plans to help you grow.