Now that you've reflected on your emotional intelligence, it's time to check your self-perception against someone else's perspective. 

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1. Select a friend or colleague with whom you can have an honest and caring conversation about your EI. Choose someone "safe" and has your best interests in mind—someone who would not use this exercise against you or otherwise do you harm. 

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2. Explain that you would value his or her opinion to help check your assumptions. Send that person this PDF (it's the same quiz you too, but reframed so that others can score you). Offer to reciprocate; your colleague can take the quiz and you can score them. 

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3. Set up a time to discuss their responses and how they align—or don't—with yours. It's important to do this in person, over the phone, or by video, but don't use email for this. There's too much room for misunderstanding if the other party simply sends you scores and writes a few comments. 

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In the conversation, listen deeply. Candid feedback is a gift and something to be thankful for. Gratitude, like other positive emotions, helps you stay centered and open to new information. Make an effort to see things from your friend's perspective. Ask what you can do to leverage your EI skills. The focus for improvement should be more in favor of your strengths, not your deficiencies. Resist the urge to focus on your problem areas. That will help you keep defensiveness at bay.