​Asking your boss for a raise can seem intimidating, but it's a normal and necessary step for career growth. It's a conversation that requires careful preparation, confidence, and effective communication. However, with the right approach, you can increase your chances of success and secure the salary you deserve.Here are some ways to achieve the recognition and financial rewards you desire:​1. Assess Your Worth and AccomplishmentsBefore initiating the raise conversation, it's crucial to evaluate your worth within the organization. Take a step back and objectively assess your accomplishments, the value you bring to the table, and the impact you've had on the company's success. Vague statements about working hard don't provide compelling evidence you deserve more pay. Come armed with cold hard metrics that quantify and demonstrate your value. Show how you contribute to the bottom line with facts like increasing sales by 30%, cutting costs by 15%, or improving productivity by 40%. Provide concrete examples like landing major new clients, retaining key customers, or receiving rave reviews and feedback. Back up your assertion that you provide unique value with numerical examples.Make your life easier by tracking accomplishments and completed tasks on a regular basis. By recording these metrics on a weekly or monthly basis throughout the year, you can have a readily available record of your achievements. This can prove beneficial during performance reviews that include self-assessments or management touchbases.​2. Research the MarketThe next step in building a compelling case for a raise is being well-informed about salary benchmarks and industry standards for your role and work responsibilities. Don't arbitrarily throw out a raise number. Do your homework and find data on comparable salaries for someone with your role, experience, and performance. Sites like Glassdoor, PayScale, and Salary.com provide ranges based on position, company size, and location. Know what the market rate is for your skillset so you can anchor your request in reasonable expectations, not just what you want. Being aware of norms also prevents inadvertently asking for too little. Come armed with researched numbers.3. Timing is EverythingTiming can make or break your request for a raise. Pick your moment wisely when asking for a raise. Avoid high-stress crunch times like right before a major deadline or during hectic seasons like the holidays. Look for windows when your manager seems more relaxed and receptive. The beginning of a new budget cycle or after completing a successful project are opportune times. Scheduling a meeting for late afternoon on a Friday could find them in a good mood ready for the weekend. Capitalize on positive energy and events versus adding one more thing to their plate.​4. Craft Your PitchIt’s time to put your plan into action. Start by preparing a well-crafted pitch that highlights your achievements, the value you've added to the company, and your future potential. Remember, confidence is key. Present your case with conviction, articulating your contributions in a way that showcases your expertise and the positive impact it has had on the organization. Script out your justification and think through likely objections or questions. Focus on the benefits to the company like improving retention, motivation, and performance. Practicing aloud ensures your delivery sounds polished, calm, and professional, not nervous or entitled. Preparation leads to greater clarity and a higher chance of success.5. Embrace NegotiationApproach the raise conversation as a negotiation, rather than a one-sided request. Consider suggesting a phased rollout, performance triggers, or a smaller upfront amount with review for more later. Be prepared to discuss alternative compensation options, such as bonuses, additional vacation time, professional development opportunities, improved benefits, etc. Show your willingness to work collaboratively to find a solution that satisfies both parties.​6. Maintain Professionalism and OpennessDuring the conversation, maintain a professional and positive attitude. Avoid becoming defensive or confrontational if your request is met with resistance. Instead, approach the discussion as an opportunity for growth and understanding. Listen actively to your manager's feedback, ask thoughtful questions, and demonstrate your commitment to the company's success while emphasizing your own aspirations.7. Follow-Up and AdaptAfter the initial conversation, follow up with a thoughtful email summarizing the discussion and any agreed-upon post-conversation actions. However the request turns out, thank your manager for their time and consideration. Make it clear you respect their decision and appreciate the opportunity to have an open dialogue. Don't threaten to quit or engage in hardball tactics. If the raise is declined, ask what steps you can take to earn an increase in the future. Maintain the relationship in a cordial, professional manner that leaves the door open for future opportunities.If you employ these strategies, you’ll be better positioned for personal growth and financial success. But remember, if your request is declined, it's not the end of the world. If you consistently face obstacles to advancement or fair compensation in your current organization, you may consider exploring opportunities elsewhere. Update your resume, network with professionals in your field, and keep an eye out for openings that align with your career goals.If you’re not being fairly compensated, someone out there will be willing to pay you what you’re worth. Go after what you feel you deserve.

​Organizations pursuing pre-pandemic remedies for post-pandemic realities will underperform.We are in a different place than we were two years ago. Our world has been turned upside down: our offices, our family dynamics and our priorities. And just as we are getting a handle on all those things, companies are asking us to return to the office while the pandemic continues to evolve.Inevitably, there has been pushback from those who would rather quit than return to their job as it once was. Employee attrition is at an all-time high as workers are leaving to retire early, explore entrepreneurship, or find a better fit at a different company.This phenomenon has been labeled the Great Resignation, but that only describes the symptom. The root cause is the Great Realization, a broad change in how people look at their lives and their livelihoods. Organizations that address the Great Realization will thrive. Organizations pursuing pre-pandemic remedies for post-pandemic realities are going to underperform.Right Management works with thousands of individuals through our leadership, career and coaching work annually. From this experience, we have identified the following themes that characterize the employee sentiment of today. Organizations that understand and address these themes will emerge as the most attractive employers, because individuals will feel like they belong and want to bring their best every single day.Setting individuals up for success from day oneThere is an unprecedented number of job openings across the economy. That means that each successful hire – internal or external – is critical to success. How individuals are welcomed into a new team sets the stage for success or failure.High-performing companies invest in new hires with comprehensive onboarding programs starting with assessments to ensure fit, pre-hire to post-hire learning, networking, and coaching that fits with the needs of the role.When new hires know that their new manager and company are investing in their success, their willingness to learn, adapt and stay increases.Balancing flexibility and effectiveness in the hybrid work modelFlexibility in when and where you work used to be a special perk for the select few with enlightened managers or gig-like business models. There was no precedent to show that it was possible at scale. The sudden exodus from corporate offices has taught us that we can work remotely and in many cases be more productive. As a result, more jobs are offering remote options and technology is making it even easier for us to collaborate.Successful employers will have to accommodate flexible work arrangements that address individual needs while also being mindful of equity and fairness in defining where and how work gets done.Alignment of company values and employee careersPeople seek meaning in their work and are increasingly looking for companies aligned to their own values. They want to understand how their day-to-day work links back to a broader impact and how they can develop as individuals and progress their careers.The bar is higher for companies to have a compelling vision and to help individuals see how they fit into that vision, both in their roles today and in their career progression. Managers need to be enabled to have these conversations and create the optimum environment to guide careers.Creating belonging through inclusionWe have all felt the sting of being excluded at some point in our lives. We feel the need to fit in by outwardly adapting to an established culture. Flipping the script, however, can be far more valuable to organizations. When people feel a sense of security – safety in being able to express their perspectives and needs without censure — they will pay less attention to how they are perceived and more attention on value-driving work.Equipping organizations with the tools to foster a sense of inclusion will create an environment where all individuals can bring their full selves to work. This will increase capacity, focus, and creativity and lead to stronger business performance.The Great Realization as an OpportunityWhile the prolonged uncertainty around the pandemic has been challenging, we believe there is also a silver lining in that it has offered us a sense of possibility. The Great Realization represents not only a broad change, but also a great opportunity.  We have raised our standards for how we want to spend our time.  We have learned that we can handle a lot more than we thought we could. Successful companies will recognize this shift in priorities among their employees and embrace it by investing in their employees and creating a sense of belonging.Right Management has been helping organizations evaluate, develop, mobilize and transition their talent for over 40 years. Let us help you thrive in the new next.

​No matter the industry, every business around the world is undergoing dramatic changes to the way it operates. From the increasing use of and investment in technology to the rapid transformation in skills needs and development to workplaces going hybrid or fully remote, every organization must adapt or run the risk of being left behind.  ​“What we've seen happening is companies that were maybe procrastinating, overthinking, or overengineering things like tech transformation,” says LinkedIn’s Head of Search & Staffing UK&I Adam Hawkins. “Then they were forced to do it, and they did it quite seamlessly because they had to and they realized the upside potential. It's sort of the fear of jumping off a cliff and realizing you can actually do it.” ​​Speaking at the ManpowerGroup Talent Solutions Transform Talent event, Hawkins outlined three areas that are accelerating the future of work: digital transformation, workforce transformation, and workplace transformation.  ​​Digital TransformationRelating to all things artificial intelligence (AI), automation and data, and how data and technology is democratizing the playing field, driving productivity, and creating a competitive edge, Hawkins breaks down the changes into three waves of automation: the algorithmic wave, which is where machines have the ability to take simple computational tasks and provide analysis on strips of data, which businesses can then use for competitive advantage; the augmentation wave, featuring the rise of robotics that can undertake manual tasks; and the third is the autonomy wave, which is about automating physical labor.  ​​At the end of the day, Hawkins notes it’s how companies analyze and utilize all the data they’re gathering as part of their digital evolution. That’s where he sees tremendous opportunity for businesses who enhance data literacy skills within their organization.  ​​“Only one in five people are confident with their data literacy skills, just 11% of business leaders trust their teams to use data in an effective manner, and 50% of organizations lack the data literacy and AI skills to achieve business value with that data,” Hawkins says. “Data needs to be driven from the top. Not just having analysts, but actually integrating data into all conversations across how the business is run and filling the skills gap. This needs to become an ingrained part of their culture.” ​​Workforce TransformationThe rapid evolution of technology is effectively shortening the lifespan of the relevant skills workers within businesses possess. According to the World Economic Forum's Future of Jobs Report, as adoption of technology increases, 50% of all employees will need reskilling by 2025. ​​Hawkins advises organizations to view this ongoing transformation from two fronts: skills evolution, including upskilling, reskilling, and mobilization of skills across the business; and attracting and retaining the best people in your workforce. ​​“Having a formalized process for greater diversity, which equals greater perspective and brings a competitive edge. Bringing in people that may not be the perfect fit for the role, but how we align cultures and values and the potential to drive greater value in the business. It will be about acquiring skills and potential,” says Hawkins. “Businesses that really assess and build confidence are the ones that remain competitive and keep their people. ​​Workplace TransformationTalent is no longer constrained and remote teams are powering technological innovations. Flexibility will be the name of the game. Not just for how businesses operate, but for recruiting and retaining talent. According to the EY 2021 Work Reimagined Employee Survey, more than half (54%) of employees surveyed from around the world said they would consider leaving their job post-COVID-19 pandemic if they are not afforded some form of flexibility in where and when they work.  ​​What this does, according to Hawkins, is create a trust contract that is all about collaborating with employees and creating a fairer and more inclusive workplace with people doing different work, at different times, from different places. And, he says, those are the companies that are getting ahead. ​​“They're the ones that are able to segment their workforce in terms of their team and team norms, and also make sure that the best fit policies are in place. Spaces themselves will become more inclusive, they'll become more creative, collaborative and we'll see a greater rise of things like design thinking, where people come into the office not to work but to collaborate,” Hawkins says. “Companies that are really figuring this out are the ones that are going to be able to attract and retain and develop the best people within the organization.” ​​Ultimately, Hawkins puts the onus on employees to guide the actions of their employers.  ​​“It's time for employees to decide what kind of organization they want to experience, and the experiences they want to create, and the environment and culture they want to nurture to help deliver their best work,” says Hawkins. “I think it's the time where we see those that are less cautious will definitely see the upsides and those upsides will be significant.” ​

​The impact of tech means that soft skills are more important than ever – which means that skills you already have may be more useful than you realized. While all skills need update, there are certain core soft skills that can transfer from one role to the next and have a lasting impact over time.As technology transforms organizations, skill needs are changing rapidly, and companies are struggling to find the talent they need. ManpowerGroup's report — Robots Need Not Apply: Human Solutions in the Skills Revolution— surveyed 20,000 employers across 42 countries on the impact of automation, and found that soft skills that are of greatest value are the hardest to find.Developing soft skills can have an immediate and long-term impact on your career. The soft skills employers want most are communication, collaboration and problem solving, according to ManpowerGroup’s 2018 Talent Shortage Survey.When considering professional development, here are soft skills that everyone should add or refine in their repertoire.CreativityOne of the ways to differentiate yourself is to become the person known for generating the greatest and most creative ideas for problem solving. This process shouldn’t be viewed as another thing to add to an already over-scheduled day but viewed as a means to create a competitive advantage. Follow this model for producing ideas to make the creative process more accessible.PresenceIn terms of communications skills, a sense of presence includes the gravitas of how you behave or act, how you speak and how you present yourself. These are skills that can be learned and developed. Seeking coaching and solid skill building in personal career management can guide and support leaders in building executive presence in a way that compels people to follow you, which increases your ability to collaborate.LearnabilityNew problems will arise as the digital landscape continues to change how we work. In order to meet these new challenges, learnability is necessary. Learnability is the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout careers. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read something from an unusual perspective? When have you taken the time to wrap your head around a new industry? When have you engaged in conversation on a subject outside your comfort zone? To keep your learnability skill sharp, take the time to find unfamiliar topics and dig beneath the surface.For those wishing to move up in their career, soft skills are critical. Even though they’re not the skills added to a resume, they undergird and complement all other abilities. Embrace them, and they’ll continue to benefit you throughout a career.

​Nearly half of employers today say they can’t find the skills they need, according to ManpowerGroup research. This shortage presents an opportunity for employees and job seekers, who can step into new roles with the right approach. Here’s how to cultivate a career move using the strategies aligning with how organizations are finding talent.Build: Grow from withinOrganizations are developing talent in-house, which means opportunities to expand roles into new areas. Employers are emphasizing that continuous learning is essential for individuals to keep growing in their roles, and better grow with the organization. For employees, this requires embracing learnability and a growth mindset. The role that you find yourself in an organization may be very different tomorrow than it is today.Buy: Sell your skillsIt’s a simple law of supply and demand. Due to the shortage, employers are attracting employees with competitive wages, perks or other benefits will allow organizations to buy talent. Those who are looking to make a move now have better options at different organizations. To maximize marketability, job seekers can work on selling themselves through means of their resume, LinkedIn, networking and applying for new roles.Borrow: Lend your talentThe “side hustle” is becoming both a resume builder and supply of extra income for the next generation. Both workers and organizations are increasingly turning to flexible employment opportunities including part-time, freelance, contract and temporary workers. As organizations cultivate workers inside and outside of the company, employees can take advantage of the gig economy by fitting into flexible opportunities.Bounce: Make the leapBouncing can mean leaping up in an organization. In today’s changing landscape, agility is needed to consider how someone’s skills can be moved around inside the same organization, or in another role in a new company. For employees, this means identifying their adjacent skills to see how they can adapt to new roles.Today’s organizations are building, buying, borrowing and bouncing talent to fit their needs. If employees are aware of these trends, they can take advantage and accelerate their careers.

​Soft skills pay. The ability to project manage, relate to colleagues, speak in public and other human skills will be consistently relevant over time. Over 4 in 10 employers say critical thinking and analysis skills are their most valued human strengths, followed by creativity & originality and resilience & adaptablity skills according to the global Talent Shortage Survey. These soft skills will help your career both in the short and long term. Whether you are looking for a job or want to move up, mastering the soft skills will help. Here’s how to polish these necessary elements. Nurture your Creative Side One of the ways to differentiate yourself is to become the person known for generating the greatest and most creative ideas. This process shouldn’t be viewed as another thing to add to an already over-scheduled day, but viewed as a means to create a competitive advantage. Be Accountable You can measure your progress by meeting with your manager and asking to keep you accountable for your soft skill growth. For example, you may ask your manager to rate you on your leadership ability before and after you join committees at work. Having this external measure at the end of a development cycle will help keep you motivated and accountable. Practice Learnability New problems will arise as the digital landscape continues to change how we work. In order to meet these new challenges, learnability is necessary. Learnability is the desire and ability to continually learn and grow throughout careers. Ask yourself, when was the last time you read something from an unusual perspective? When have you taken the time to wrap your head around a new industry? To keep your learnability skill sharp, take the time to find unfamiliar topics and dig beneath the surface. Finally, go back to the beginning when you checked all these boxes. Mastering soft skills isn’t a one-time task. Keep going. 

​This personal virtue is more than simply something to remember around the holidays, however. Research also shows that kindness can also offer competitive advantages for your career. Here are reasons –beyond just being a good person –to increase your kindness.Effective leaders are likeableKindness is a leadership trait. Those who reach high levels in an organization don’t get there by being cold and difficult. In a survey of 51,836 leaders, a tiny percentage –just one in every 2,000 –were rated at the bottom quartile in terms of likability but in the top quartile in terms of overall leadership effectiveness. Be kind and likable to be a leader.Kindness is linked to creativityCreativity is a competitive edge for employees, and it doesn’t happen by accident. Multiple studies show that “respectfully engaging with other organizational members can augment creativity for individuals and teams.” Being kind to your colleagues – or what researchers call “respectful engagement” – is related to creative behavior at both the individual and team levels. Creativity, in turn, is a crucial soft skill that will help keep you relevant as the world of work changes. Your reputation is your resumeKindness isn’t just a one-time act. Over time, how you treat others builds a reputation. A way to develop a bad reputation at work is to take credit for another person’s work and being difficult to work with. Giving credit where it is due, recognizing others and being kind will become an extension of your resume. Kindness attracts othersThe easiest way to turn off an employer? Being a jerk. Even entrepreneurs who have had a history of bluntness and difficulty have had a change of heart about the effectiveness of being a kinder person.  As Mark Cuban admitted, "people hate dealing with people who are jerks," Cuban wrote in a 2014 Entrepreneur article.Kindness is its own reward – but it also can provide more. Be kind, and you might also be hired and be promoted. 

​The path to so-called “hard skills” is often clear: Get a degree or certification and you’re suddenly qualified with a new line on your resume. Then there are less clear milestones such as learning to plan a long-term project, negotiate with clients or give a clear presentation. Fortunately, there are concrete ways to cultivate soft skills for the Skills Revolution.Start with specificsMany New Year’s Resolutions fail because they are too ambiguous, such as the goal of getting in shape. What, specifically, do you want? At work, make a list of potential soft skills you need such as interpersonal communication, leadership and personal branding. Then drill down to make it specific. For example, focus on interpersonal skills in a specific way by providing written feedback for colleagues in project meetings.Don’t do too much too soonTo go back to the New Year’s Resolution analogy, another pitfall is trying to do it all. Maybe you want to lose weight and travel more, two goals which may cancel each other out. The same is true of soft skills at work. For example, if your goal is to become a dynamic public speaker, you may want to wait on the next goal of providing better interpersonal feedback, which takes a different ability.Make it measurableMeasuring a goal can take the form of both inputs and outputs. If your goal is to improve your leadership throughout your organization, for example, you may make a goal of joining three volunteer committees. That’s an input metric. Then how do you know if you’re making progress through that action? That takes the next step, output metrics.Set accountabilityOutput metrics are often associated with 360s and performance reviews, which play a part in developing your soft skills. But you can also create your own output metrics by meeting with your manager and asking her to keep you accountable. For example, you may ask your manager to rate you on your leadership ability before and after you join three committees at work. Having this external measure at the end of a development cycle will help keep you motivated and accountable.Finally, go back to the beginning when you have finished this cycle. Skills in demand from employers, and your ability to develop these talents are crucial to advancement

​In the tech world, all eyes are on Apple each year as it announces its newest launches and updates to its current line of MacBooks, iPhone and watch. The company has become the epitome of disruptive innovation and how ubiquitous technology has transformed our lives.Yet, there’s something timeless about each Apple launch: A single person standing on stage, telling a story. Today, Apple CEO Tim Cook builds off the legacy of Steve Jobs, who became legendary for his personality and stage presence.The Cook and Jobs presentation skills demonstrate that no matter how digitized we become as a society, there’s always a place for human communication skills – even at the world’s most technologically advanced companies.In fact, the 10 most in demand professional skills in the world reflect the need for human soft skills, including sales representatives and professionals such as project managers and researchers, according to ManpowerGroup’s latest report on the talent shortage.In our increasingly digital world, here are skills that still matter for professionals.Managing Expectations“The future is a concept — it doesn’t exist,” said author and philosopher Alan Watts. For businesses, this ambiguity about the future is more than a thought exercise. It requires understanding how to navigate change when you’re not sure where the changes will come from. Leaders with communication skills will be able to guide others when there is no roadmap. That means making decisions on the fly, the ability to adapt to evolving circumstances, and then sharing your reasoning to others to get them to follow.Delivering InspirationThe artist Michelangelo once said: “Lord, grant that I may always desire more than I can accomplish.” It’s a human – and timeless – quality to seek inspiration and motivation, and look for it in others. You can call it stage presence, charisma or just je ne sais quoi. No matter what “it” is, there is a palpable energy that can come from someone who is an engaging communicator. We share our social orientation in brain circuitry with all other mammals, so this is a deep-seeded biological need that can’t be replaced by technology. Human communication needs the motivation of the human touch, and that will never go away.Suggesting ImprovementImagine your next job performance review is with a robot. You’d get a PDF with all of your deficiencies, delivered to you with cold efficiency, with highlighted sections to work on. Doesn’t sound fun, does it? As much as we dread performance review, human communication helps us become resilient and improve. Others can see our blind spots that we don’t see, and also equip us with coping strategies and teachable skills.Overall, it’s true that digital trends continue to expand and play a larger and larger role in the world of work. But if you’re feeling uneasy or out of place because of technology, the answer may be in thinking more traditionally – and reclaiming your humanity.​​

​Twenty five years after the term “emotional intelligence” was first introduced by academics, thousands of independent scientific studies have highlighted the importance of managing your own and others’ emotions in relation to career success, job performance, entrepreneurship, and leadership.But research suggests that people with low EQ, as emotional intelligence is often called, may not realize what important skills they lack. Indeed, studies have shown that all of us are better at evaluating others’ EQ than judging our own, but this is especially true when we have low EQ: because EQ also includes the capacity for self-knowledge.Although lower EQ people are generally less rewarding to deal with — they are grumpier, more negative, and more erratic than average — there will be many circumstances where we have to deal with low EQ individuals. Given the difficulties this can entail, it may be useful to keep in mind the following, evidence-based recommendations for managing those situations effectively:Be gentleJust because someone is unpleasant doesn’t mean you have to respond with unpleasantness or ostracize them. In fact, you can become a stabilizing and calming agent for low EQ people if you make an effort to act politely and kindly in your interactions with them. Remember that having a lower EQ is psychologically taxing, not just for others but the low EQ individuals themselves. They are often fighting inner demons and riddled with existential angst – the academic euphemism for this is emotional labor. So, don’t make them work even harder. Instead, you can brighten them up and make their lives seem a little simpler, safer, and happier, or at least less anxious. Conversely, if you react in a negative way they will perceive you as a psychological threat and source of stress. Kindness and positivity go a long way with everyone, but even more so with emotionally unintelligent people. Yes, some people lack soft skills, but being hard on them is not the solution. On the contrary, tact and delicacy are needed particularly with those who are less capable of displaying those very qualities.Be explicitIn particular, avoid social subtleties, or you will be misinterpreted. Low EQ individuals are generally less capable of reading between the lines and their ability to decode others’ intentions is typically limited. As Professor Simon Baron-Cohen noted, they are quite similar to the stereotypical engineer or professor: disinterested in nonverbal communication, non-empathetic, and somewhat detached from interpersonal contact; happiest when on their own or interacting with their own thoughts rather than people. Baron-Cohen’s spectrum theory posits that cognitive skills often increase at the expense of social skills (take this brief test to find out where you fall).Be rationalAlthough low EQ people often behave in irrational ways, so does everyone else. Furthermore, the only antidote to emotionality is rationality, which starts by being aware of your own biases, being data-driven, and accepting the possibility that you may be wrong. When dealing with low EQ individuals, remember that they are more likely to fall prey to their own emotions than most people are, so, rather than trying to manipulate them by engaging them emotionally, you can gain their trust by being the voice of reason and developing a reputation for being logical. This will not just enable you to persuade them in the short run, but also influence them in the long run. The main point is that even if emotional persuasion works with them, there are moral reasons for not going down that path.Do not get offendedOne of the common characteristics of emotionally unintelligent individuals is their bluntness. They have low interpersonal sensitivity and find it hard to empathize with others, which is why they may come across as politically incorrect or overly direct. On the upside, this makes them quite transparent. You can usually see right through them and they tend to mean what they say, and say what they mean. The key, then, is not to take things personally. They may not operate within the realm of conventional etiquette, but you can still find a way of dealing with them and helping them deal with you.Finally, remember that just as high EQ is not always a blessing—for example, it says nothing about a person’s reasoning ability, expertise, or ambition – it is not the end of the world if you yourself are the one with low EQ. This may sound odd, because EQ has become a very loaded term today—perhaps even more than IQ. However, there is a bright side to low EQ, and a dark side to high EQ. Low EQ individuals are often more passionate, creative, and self-critical than their higher EQ counterparts. And higher EQ individuals can be complacent, smug, and overly optimistic compared to their low-EQ counterparts.While interventions to boost EQ are often successful, people have limited control over their personalities, and each personality will confer more strengths in some situations than in others. The current enthusiasm about emotional intelligence can obscure the fact that plenty of brilliant and successful people, from Friedrich Nietzsche to Steve Jobs, had lower EQ—and that these people are also capable of rewarding relationships, even with their work colleagues.​About the AuthorAs ManpowerGroup's Chief Talent Scientist, Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic is responsible for leading the Center of Excellence for Assessment and Analytics, developing data-driven solutions and insight to create new value for clients and candidates by driving predictable performance. A well-known international expert in business psychology, people analytics and talent management, Chamorro-Premuzic has written 10 books and over 150 scientific papers on the psychology of talent, leadership, innovation and AI.