When Daniel Goleman wrote his landmark books on emotional intelligence in the 90’s (Emotional Intelligence, 1995, Working with Emotional Intelligence, 1998), managers in organisations everywhere nodded their heads in agreement. Finally, what they knew to be true about dealing with people had a name and was clearly articulated. For the past decade, important research has shown that feelings and emotions have a direct impact on effectiveness, efficiency and ultimately the bottom line.

Most importantly, this concept has great potential for creating positive change. “It is also the best antidote to work stress and it matters in every job — because all jobs involve dealing with people, and people with higher EQ (emotional intelligence) are more rewarding to deal with" [1]

Emotional intelligence can be defined as your capacity to deal effectively with one’s own and others' emotions. When applied to the workplace, emotional intelligence involves the capacity to effectively perceive, express, understand and manage emotions in a professional and effective manner at work.

Over 3,000 scientific articles have been published since 1990. A review of research conducted in 2010 by Dr. Gilles Gignac, Director of Research and Development for Genos, found that Emotional Intelligence predicts job performance and does so independently of personality and intelligence.

You can enhance your emotional intelligence by…

• Recognising that change will require dedication and focus and that all human behaviour can be modified
• Reflecting how your mood may be influencing your decisions or behaviour. Consider developing your mindfulness to enhance your awareness, reduce stress, reduce negativity and build positive emotions
• Asking others how they are experiencing their day. Listen and show empathy.
• Getting the support of an expert to guide the development of your interpersonal skills.

1. In fact “a well-designed coaching intervention can easily achieve improvements of 25%...the most coachable element of EQ is interpersonal skills — with average short-term improvements of 50%. … For stress management programs, the average improvement reported is around 35%...(and) they produce higher levels of happiness, mental and physical health”[2]

[1] Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Professor of Business Psychology, University College London, Harvard Business Review, 2013.

[2] Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, Professor of Business Psychology, University College London, Harvard Business Review, 2013.