The Downsides of Being Very Emotionally Intelligent

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Harvard Business Review |
Tomas Chamorro-PremuzicAdam Yearsley

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some of the less favorable implications of her high EQ.

Lower levels of creativity and innovation potential. There is a negative correlation between EQ and many of the traits that predispose individuals toward creativity and innovation.

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Difficulty giving and receiving negative feedback. ... high EQ scorers like Gemma can be so highly adjusted and cool-headed that they may be indifferent to any negative feedback they receive.

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An aversion to risk. Most innovative ventures require a balance between risk taking and risk avoidance.

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There is no question that EQ is a desirable and highly adaptive trait, and it is understandable that we generally prefer EQ to be high rather than low. However, obsessing over high EQ will create a workforce of emotionally stable, happy, and diplomatic people who potter along and follow rules enthusiastically instead of driving change and innovation. They will be great followers and good managers, but don’t expect them to be visionary leaders or change agents.