Working With Emotional Intelligence

October 5, 1998
Applying the lessons of his bestselling study Emotional Intelligence, Goleman has found that business success stems primarily from a workforce displaying initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness--i.e., key aspects of what he defines as emotional intelligence. He presents studies that show that IQ accounts for only between 4% and 25% of an individual's job success, whereas emotional competence (self-awareness, self-regulation and motivation) is twice as important as purely cognitive abilities in the workplace. These findings alone should shake up human resource departments that hire based on how good someone looks on paper. In sections like "Self-Mastery," "People Skills" and "Social Radar," Goleman uses anecdotes from the corporate trenches (and from his lecture tours) to isolate qualities, such as "trustworthiness" that are central to displays of emotional intelligence. These qualities, in turn, are broken down into sets of practices--"Act ethically and... above reproach"; "respect and relate well to people from other backgrounds"--that can be internalized for improved emotional intelligence quotients by individuals looking to get ahead, or managers seeking to revitalize the staff. These repetitive-sounding checklists can at times give the book the flavor of an overworked seminar presentation. Still, embedded within the linear format that emerges are many truly illuminating facts--that the real cost of employee turnover to a company is the equivalent of one full year of employee pay, for example--that show how critically important Goleman's thesis is to today's workplace.

July 1, 1998
Having explained in Emotional Intelligence that EQ matters as much as IQ in the workplace, Goleman now explains how EQ can be learned.

August 1, 1998
Goleman made a big splash in 1995 with his best-selling, much-discussed "Emotional Intelligence." He contended that success and ability could not be determined solely by intelligence (however intelligence might be defined or measured). Emotional traits such as self-awareness, motivation, and self-control and social skills such as teamwork, leadership, and communication matter, too. His arguments were bolstered by research in neurology and the behavioral sciences. Furthermore, Goleman argued that emotional intelligence could be taught, and he targeted his message to educators and the educational system. This message, though, also drew a huge response from the world of business, and here Goleman now adapts his ideas to the workplace. Citing managerial studies, he asserts that emotional intelligence is twice as important as either IQ or technical expertise in predicting business success. Goleman shows how self-mastery and people skills determine work performance and suggests implications for job training. Although he does include scientific documentation whenever possible, Goleman himself refers to these as "soft skills," and the question remains about how accurately they can be measured--especially if they are to be used to make employment decisions such as hiring, termination, promotions, and salary levels. ((Reviewed August 1998))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1998, American Library Association.)