Handbook for Developing Emotional and Social Intelligence: Best Practices, Case Studies, and Strategies

5.3. LEVERAGE

Generally, at the end of most EQ-i® feedback sessions, the practitioner should help the client focus on one or two areas that he or she can work on for improvement. Too often, practitioners just tell the person to work on the area that is the lowest. The concept of leverage indicates that the person should work on the subscale that will provide the most leverage in impacting his or her EQ-i® scores, not necessarily the lowest score. For example, an individual, we'll call her Marissa, who took the EQ-i® scored lowest in Stress Tolerance (77), Flexibility (80), Empathy (82), and Impulse Control (85). Her highest scores were in Assertiveness (127), Self-Regard (125), Independence (122), and Reality Testing (121).

Following the traditional ...