Good Problem Solvers Are Curious And Empathic, Not Just Intelligent

Good Problem Solvers Are Curious And Empathic, Not Just Intelligent

We all know that a high IQ is a desirable, useful quality. But beyond intelligence, your curiosity quotient and emotional quotient are important too.

Picture: Nicki Varkevisser

Harvard Business Review explains what exactly the curiosity quotient (CQ) and emotional quotient (EQ) are, and how they function:

…People with higher EQ tend to be more entrepreneurial, so they are more proactive at exploiting opportunities, taking risks, and turning creative ideas into actual innovations…

CQ leads to higher levels of intellectual investment and knowledge acquisition over time, especially in formal domains of education, such as science and art…. Knowledge and expertise, much like experience, translate complex situations into familiar ones, so CQ is the ultimate tool to produce simple solutions for complex problems.

In the article, they say all three — IQ, CQ, and EQ are important for “managing complexity”. As 99U points out, this means a decent mix of all three will help you understand and solve problems, come up with novel solutions and actually execute your ideas. They point out that if you lack in any of the three areas, you can make up for it by fine tuning your strengths in one of the other quotients.

For more detail, head to the links below.

Curiosity Is as Important as Intelligence [HBR via 99U]


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