XQI – What’s Behind This Name, and Why Did We Choose It?
We keep asking: Why are some executives effective under extreme pressure—while others, despite impressive CVs, are not?
With the founding of XQI Interim Partner GmbH, we deliberately chose a name that puts this question at the center.
The Name XQI
X stands for Executive—responsibility, impact, and decision-making strength.
Q stands for a Quotient: the interplay of IQ (cognitive ability) and EQ (emotional intelligence).
I stands for Executive Interim Management, underscoring our core service.
In a time when leadership is becoming more complex, faster, and more contradictory, neither brilliant analytical ability nor high social competence alone is enough. What matters is the ratio—the individual quotient that determines how thinking, deciding, and acting come together.
This is especially visible in interim management: leadership on demand, without prior relationships, often in critical situations.
The Significance of the IQ-EQ Ratio
Does interim leadership require a different balance of IQ and EQ than permanent roles?
And can this interplay even be validly assessed?
We explored these questions in a conversation with two experts —an experienced assessment psychologist and a long-time successful HR interim manager.
Two Perspectives, One Theme
What truly defines executive effectiveness—and how can it be recognized?
Christoph Aldering, when you hear “XQI”—Executive plus the quotient of IQ and EQ—what’s your first professional association?
My first thought isn’t ‘more of both,’ but the question of fit and balance. In management diagnostics, we see time and again: Neither high IQ—understood as strong cognitive ability—nor high EQ alone reliably predict effectiveness or success. What matters is whether a leader can combine perception, thinking (analyzing, pattern recognition, structuring), feeling, and action in a goal-oriented way for the situation and context. This integrative perspective can indeed be described through the idea of a quotient.
Jörg Müller, what’s your first association?
XQI hits the core challenges of interim management. Interim managers must quickly adapt to new companies and deliver impact. This requires classic IQ—the ability to absorb data and facts—but also EQ to grasp culture, mindsets, and people’s motives.
Jörg Müller, why does the classic view of leadership competence through pure IQ fall short today?
Leadership is about building connections with people and getting them to follow. Leadership speaks primarily to emotion, the heart, and gut. A leader who believes they can convince with facts alone won’t succeed—especially in difficult business situations.
Do you agree, Christoph Aldering?
Emotional connectivity is a necessary condition for leadership, but not sufficient. We know today—from research and diagnostic practice—that systematically assessing cognitive abilities significantly improves the prediction of leadership success. At the same time, it’s clear: Cognitive strength alone doesn’t create effectiveness. In practice, leaders often fail because they either appear convincing but lack substance—or are analytically brilliant but lack emotional resonance. Effectiveness arises where emotional connectivity meets cognitive clarity, decisiveness, and inner stability.
Christoph Aldering:
How do you define IQ and EQ from a diagnostic perspective—and where are the limits of both concepts?
IQ (or ‘cognitive competence’) describes the ability to absorb, structure, recognize patterns, and logically solve problems. EQ, however, is often misunderstood: It’s not just about ‘being nice’ but about self-awareness, emotion regulation, and realistically assessing others. The limit of both concepts is when they’re viewed in isolation. Leadership isn’t a sum of partial abilities—it’s an interplay.
Is there an “optimal ratio” between cognitive and emotional intelligence for leaders? Can cognitive intelligence be measured?
There’s no universal optimum. The ‘right’ ratio depends heavily on context, role, and situation. In highly dynamic or crisis situations, emotional self-regulation often gains importance. In strategically complex phases, cognitive penetration is central. What matters is the willingness and ability to adaptively combine the required competencies for the context.
Which abilities are systematically underestimated in selection processes?
I’d frame the question less as ‘underestimated’ and more about what’s overestimated in selection. Often, the focus is heavily on past experience and achievements and currently visible competencies. At the same time, ‘potential’ is often used vaguely—more asserted than clearly defined. Particularly striking is the undifferentiated focus on ‘personality’. What surprises many is well-documented: Personality—especially as measured by classic personality tests—contributes far less to predicting professional effectiveness than concrete behavioral competence and cognitive ability. These relationships are often lost in practice
Jörg Müller:
Which EQ skills are critical for interim managers—especially in the first 30 to 60 days?
t’s about quickly connecting with employees and building basic trust. Trust is an emotional issue central to the interim manager’s success.
Where does high IQ help in interim management—and where can it even be a hindrance?
High IQ helps quickly grasp situations on a factual level and recognize patterns—whether in strategy or financial KPIs. I don’t see high IQ as a hindrance, as long as the interim manager’s personality fits. High IQ shouldn’t lead to disrespecting employees with average IQ or not valuing their judgment.
Are there situations where interim managers must consciously “overperform” because they lack relationship credit?
I don’t know if you can ‘overperform’ without relationship credit. Interim managers’ performance usually arises as team effort. For excellent team performance, leadership and trust are essential. Without EQ, nothing works.
Christoph Aldering, Jörg Müller:
Should the IQ-EQ ratio for interim managers differ from that of permanent leaders? Why?
Jörg Müller:
Both groups need a good balance of IQ and EQ. Interim managers may need a bit more EQ because they must dock quickly. Permanent leaders often have more time for this.
Christoph Aldering:
Interim managers don’t need ‘more’ EQ, but earlier and more conscious use of it. Relationships don’t happen by chance—they’re built deliberately. At the same time, this shouldn’t come at the expense of clarity and decisiveness—otherwise, you get connection without impact.
Which personality or intelligence traits correlate most strongly with effectiveness in temporary leadership roles?
Jörg Müller:
From practice, I see that interim managers need high motivation to shape. They must go where it hurts. They also need intellectual independence to ask uncomfortable questions and challenge sacred cows. Last but not least, appropriate humility and respect for employees’ and managers’ achievements are essential. Interim managers shouldn’t enter with the attitude that everything they find is bad—that quickly leads to strong resistance.
Christoph Aldering:
I fully agree. In our management assessments, we often focus on emotional stability and the ability not to immediately seek approval. Important is the differentiation that these aspects are less about stable personality traits and more about observable behavior and cognitive-emotional self-regulation. In practice, the combination of cognitive penetration and actionable behavior under pressure contributes far more to predicting effectiveness than personality traits in the narrow sense.
Christoph Aldering:
Is emotional intelligence in crises more of a stability factor or an additional stressor?
Both are possible. Emotionally intelligent leaders can create stability if they can regulate their own emotions. Without this self-regulation, sensitivity quickly becomes a stress amplifier. In management diagnostics, this differentiation—depending on the specific requirement profile—is often crucial.
Jörg Müller:
What distinguishes a technically brilliant manager from an effective executive?
True effectiveness in leaders, especially at senior levels, doesn’t come from technical brilliance. The effective executive brings the balance of IQ and EQ I described earlier.
Jörg Müller:
Which abilities did you personally have to develop most in your career—IQ or EQ-related?
In EQ, I had to further develop my ability to build stable connections with people. Since I work a lot with unions and works councils, trust is crucial. Hierarchy and instructions don’t play a role here. My success in interim mandates has always been driven by trusting relationships with employee representatives—something they’ve consistently reflected back to me
Christoph Aldering:
What advice would you give young leaders preparing for demanding executive or interim roles?
My advice is to return to some classics: ask good questions, truly listen, and seek to understand—and compare what you hear with your own experiences and knowledge. This includes tolerating relativity and accepting ambiguity. At the same time, leadership requires the ability to create orientation from a variety of options and credibly convey different perspectives. This connection of openness and clarity decides effectiveness in demanding executive and interim roles.
Thank you for the inspiring conversation.
The questions were posed by Stephan Franken and Georg Larch, both Managing Partners of XQI Interim Partner GmbH.
About the Experts:
Christoph Aldering is a Diplom-Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in international HR consulting, including at Kienbaum.
In 2012, he founded aestimamus GmbH & Co. KGaA, a consultancy specializing in executive and management diagnostics (www.aestimamus.com).
Today, he serves as Senior Advisor, focusing on management assessments, audits, and sparring for complex selection and staffing decisions.
His work combines deep scientific understanding with decades of top-management experience.
Jörg A. Müller acts as XQI Executive Circle Partner and CHRO for global reorganization: He designs complex transformation processes as an interim HR expert—from strategy to execution.
With long-standing HR expertise in restructuring, change management, and global reorganizations, he leads teams with focus and delivers sustainable solutions for international companies.
