By Blessing Adegor

The Group Managing Director of Interswitch Group, Mitchell Elegbe, has said that “having a high intelligence quotient, IQ, is necessary but “IQ alone is not enough to make a headway in life.”

Speaking to the 81 finalists of the InterswitchSPAK National Science Competition during the InterswitchSPAK Master Class 1.0, in Lagos on the topic: Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Responsibility of Youths during the Master Class, stated that emotional intelligence has become a necessity in today’s world, explaining that many people are getting more interested in the ‘softer’ skills.

He added: “Emotional Quotient or Emotional Intelligence is very necessary in today’s world. What this means is that your high scores and academic brilliance might have gotten you this far but you need a lot more than that to be successful in life. The reason is that Nigeria continues to churn out highly intelligent people everyday, so the only thing that will stand you out in life is that extra quality. This is where emotional strength, which includes attitude, good character and so on, comes into play.”

He admonished the students not to set expectations that are too high for them and others, explaining that when people fail to meet set expectations, dissatisfaction is inevitable.

Elegbe challenged the students to break out of their cocoons and strive to be the best in their chosen careers, noting that challenges create opportunities for growth, as many innovators in the world today identified problems in the society and then proffered solutions to them.