Access an Untapped Source of Success
At long last, a book directed to the working world that acknowledges and demonstrates how managing our emotions and dealing with the feelings of others increases the bottom line. Practical, practical, practical!
--Rita McGlone, assistant director of executive education, The Wharton School of Business Experts now acknowledge that emotional intelligence (EI) is perhaps the most crucial determinant of success in the workplace. And unlike IQ or other traditional measures of intelligence, EI can be developed and dramatically increased. This unprecedented book demonstrates how to master the core competencies of EI, abilities that include self-motivation, high self-awareness, mood management, and emotional mentoring. In addition, it includes scores of real-world examples and dozens of practical exercises that accelerate the process, along with step-by-step approaches to mastering a variety of EI techniques.
We have long been taught that emotions should be felt and expressed in carefully controlled ways, and then only in certain environments and at certain times. This is especially true when at work, particularly when managing others. It is considered terribly unprofessional to express emotion while on the job, and many of us believe that our biggest mistakes and regrets are due to our reactions at those times when our emotions get the better of us. David R. Caruso and Peter Salovey believe that this view of emotion is not correct. The emotion centers of the brain, they argue, are not relegated to a secondary place in our thinking and reasoning, but instead are an integral part of what it means to think, reason, and to be intelligent. In The Emotionally Intelligent Manager, they show that emotion is not just important, but absolutely necessary for us to make good decisions, take action to solve problems, cope with change, and succeed. The authors detail a practical four-part hierarchy of emotional skills: identifying emotions, using emotions to facilitate thinking, understanding emotions, and managing emotions―and show how we can measure, learn, and develop each skill and employ them in an integrated way to solve our most difficult work-related problems.
If you’ve heard a lot about emotional intelligence but you’re not sure what the hype is, or if you know what it is but doesn’t see how it really applies in the workplace, you’ve come to the right place.
The technical skills that helped secure your first promotion might not guarantee your next. If you aspire to be in a leadership role, there’s an emotional element you must consider. It’s what helps you successfully coach teams, manage stress, deliver feedback, and collaborate with others.
It’s called emotional intelligence and is one of the most sought-after interpersonal skills in the workplace. In fact, 71 percent of employers value emotional intelligence more than technical skills when evaluating candidates.