Why Emotional Intelligence Is The Most Underrated Moneymaking Skill

Why EQ pays More Than IQ

You’ve heard that hard work pays off.

But what if there’s something even more profitable than grinding longer hours?

Across every high-income profession, from sales to entrepreneurship to senior leadership, the highest earners usually aren’t the most technically skilled. They’re the ones who know how to read the room, manage emotions, and influence people.

That’s emotional intelligence in action.

Also called EQ, emotional intelligence includes self-awareness, empathy, communication, and emotional regulation.

These are the “soft skills” that are now considered critical for advancement, and they’re often the deciding factor in who gets paid more, promoted faster, and trusted with leadership.

The World Economic Forum ranked emotional intelligence as a top 10 job skill for the future, while research from TalentSmart found that 90% of top performers score high in EQ, not just IQ.

And unlike raw intelligence or certifications, emotional intelligence is something you can learn and strengthen.

Here’s how to do it without wasting time on vague advice or personality quizzes.

Learn To Label Emotions With Precision

Most people use broad emotional terms like “stressed” or “annoyed,” but that lack of clarity makes it harder to manage the real issue. Researchers call this emotional granularity, your ability to precisely identify what you're feeling.

Someone with low granularity might say “I feel bad.”

Someone with high granularity might say, “I feel anxious about my deadline and embarrassed that I haven’t started yet.”

This difference matters. According to studies from the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, people who use more nuanced emotion labels cope better under pressure and make more rational decisions in high-stakes environments.

That has massive implications in business.

If you can slow down and define what you’re actually feeling, guilt, pressure, envy, disappointment, you’ll be better equipped to respond strategically, not impulsively.

To build this skill:

• Expand your emotional vocabulary. Use a tool like the Emotion Wheel or mood journal apps to identify specific feelings.
  

• Pause and reflect instead of reacting. Just labeling your state reduces the intensity of the emotion, a technique known as affect labeling.
  

• Use language that connects emotion to cause: “I feel ___ because ___.”

This self-awareness isn’t just for your own mental health, it gives you an edge in negotiations, leadership, and decision-making.

Master Your Emotional Triggers In High-Stakes Moments

The fastest way to lose a deal, destroy a relationship, or wreck your reputation is to get emotionally hijacked.

It happens when your limbic system (the emotional brain) overrides your prefrontal cortex (the rational brain). You snap at someone. You shut down. You panic and make a reckless choice.

High-EQ performers avoid this by understanding their emotional triggers, the situations or comments that reliably spark a reaction.

And they rehearse how to respond when those triggers show up.

According to psychologist Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, people with high EQ don’t suppress their emotions, they acknowledge them, then redirect their energy toward a constructive action.

One technique that works well under pressure is the “Name + Breathe + Plan” method:

1. Name the emotion in real time (“I feel frustrated”).
   

2. Breathe to activate the parasympathetic nervous system and slow your heart rate.
   

3. Plan your response, not your reaction.

This is especially useful in client meetings, leadership conflicts, or high-dollar negotiations. When everyone else is flustered, the calmest person in the room holds the most power.

Even tech leaders are recognizing this. At Google, managers are now trained in emotional self-regulation and mindfulness, because data showed it improved team performance, retention, and bottom-line results.

Learning to stay level-headed doesn’t just improve your relationships, it protects your income.

Use Empathy To Influence And Negotiate Better

Empathy is the ability to understand what someone else is thinking or feeling.

But in business, empathy is not just about being nice, it’s a strategic advantage.

Harvard Business Review found that leaders rated as empathetic by their teams were viewed as stronger performers and had higher employee engagement. And in sales, studies show that high-empathy reps close more deals by aligning their pitch with the customer’s perspective.

Here’s why that matters: people buy from people who “get” them.

They hire, promote, and trust people who make them feel heard.

If you’re trying to raise money, land a client, or pitch an idea, you’ll have more success if you can describe someone’s problem better than they can, and show that you genuinely understand it.

To sharpen this skill:

• Practice “perspective taking.” Before a meeting, ask yourself: What’s this person’s biggest concern right now? What outcome are they hoping for?
  

• Mirror and validate. Repeat part of what they say to confirm you’re listening: “It sounds like you’re frustrated because the last provider didn’t deliver on time. That makes sense.”
  

• Ask better questions. Instead of talking more, ask: “Can you tell me more about that?” or “What would be the ideal outcome here?”

When people feel understood, they drop their defenses.

That turns every conversation into a trust-building opportunity, and makes you harder to replace.

Build Trust By Owning Your Emotions Publicly

Most people think emotional intelligence is about keeping your feelings private.

But the most respected leaders and professionals don’t hide their emotions, they own them in a way that builds trust.

This is known as emotional transparency.

When you can calmly say, “I’m feeling overwhelmed by the pace of this project,” or “I was disappointed by how that turned out,” it signals maturity. It also makes you relatable.

According to a PwC study, emotional authenticity is becoming a top leadership trait as Gen Z and younger millennials enter the workforce.

Why? Because authenticity builds credibility.

People don’t trust perfect leaders. They trust consistent ones who are honest when things are hard.

The key is to express emotion with control, not in a venting or dramatic way.

This habit also strengthens team dynamics. A study in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that when leaders displayed emotional transparency, their teams were more cooperative, creative, and committed to outcomes.

If you want to lead, sell, or grow, people need to trust how you feel.

Own it, don’t hide it.

The BMM Takeaway

The most valuable skill in any economy is the ability to make other people feel understood.

That’s what emotional intelligence really is.

Not just staying calm.

Not just being nice.

It’s the ability to manage your internal state while strategically responding to others in a way that builds trust, respect, and forward momentum.

People follow people who seem steady and aware.

They hire them.

They promote them.

They cut them in on deals.

And in uncertain markets, that emotional consistency becomes a magnet for opportunity.

The better you get at this, the less you’ll need to “prove” yourself with credentials, bravado, or hustle.

You’ll get picked because people feel safer, smarter, and more confident with you in the room.