A

Book
Review

Working with
Emotional Intelligence
Review by Scott Jackson Book by Daniel Goleman | Published by Bantam Books | © 1998

For modern professionals or anyone who has come to realize

that success hinges on more than superior intellect, there is
another type of intelligence that needs to be acquired and
nurtured for people to be masters of what they do: emotional
intelligence.

Working with Emotional Intelligence is a meticulously-researched combination of investigative

journalism and scientific analysis on how businesses operate—why do some individuals, groups
or organizations succeed and others fail? Companies used to hire people by looking for smart
individuals with the right qualifications. Now, the importance of emotional intelligence—a per-
son’s ability to manage their feelings and emotions appropriately—needs to be factored in as
well. For outstanding leadership, it may be the most important consideration yet.

Psychologist and author Daniel Goleman draws inspiration from the many failed or wasted efforts by
various institutions to incorporate emotional intelligence in their organizations. He makes the scientific
case for recognizing the importance of emotional intelligence in the workplace, with a focus on
enhancing business productivity.

The methods to becoming conversant in emotional intelligence include:

defining emotional intelligence applying it to the workplace

understanding the physiology of providing the necessary

the brain training

evaluating emotional competencies

 Book Review: Working with Emotional Intelligence
2

Initial Insights
We’re all familiar with the stereotype of a brilliant person with poor social skills having problems in a professional
environment—and such a person may be struggling with good reason; there is more than one type of smart.
Working with Emotional Intelligence starts off by defining what emotional intelligence is and why it counts just as
much as IQ or expertise for excelling on the job, if not more.

The author explains that the human brain is hard-wired to interpret certain stimuli impulsively, making some of
our reactions and feelings involuntary. He then outlines the 25 emotional competencies and groups them into
one of two categories, as being either a personal or a social skill.

These competencies are the heart and the soul of the book and the author cites numerous case studies and
insightful anecdotes to support each characteristic.

All competencies provide different benchmarks for collaboration and teamwork, and each has a different role
when applied to training.

Defining Emotional Intelligence

Goleman defines emotional intelligence as ”the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others,
for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships.”

This kind of intelligence is above and beyond intellectual know-how—the kind we are taught at school—the cold,
impersonal measurements of the IQ test. It’s about keeping the intangibles in check.

Your intellectual capacity is your potential for learning something, and how successfully you’re able to learn tech-
nical skills depend on this ‘academic’ type of intelligence. But emotional competencies, on the other hand, relate
to the emotional capacity of an individual.

The importance of emotional learning increases exponentially the higher you go in an organization.

Understanding the Physiology of the Brain

There’s a primitive part of the inner brain—known as the amygdala—that determines how you and everyone
else react to extreme stimuli, causing you to experience involuntary “primitive” reactions. Good examples of this
are the “fight-or-flight” response or that that familiar sensation deep down in your gut when you find yourself
thinking “I’ve got a bad feeling about all this,” although you can’t really put your finger on why.

Reacting to stressful situations can result in what the author calls “amygdala hijacks”—explosive emotional reac-
tion causing loss of control for the individual. People who act calm and cool in the face of emergencies have
learned how to manage their feelings and emotions. This is possible because the brain has a counter-balance
for the impulsive orders it receives from the amygdala—the prefrontal lobe. It can override these; it is the part
of the brain that counteracts involuntary reactions with notions of common sense and context.
 Book Review: Working with Emotional Intelligence
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Evaluating Emotional Competencies

Goleman insightfully proposes a way to drill down into each person’s unique competencies as they relate to emo-
tions and apply it to a business model to improve the level at which people perform in their jobs.

To do this, he groups peoples’ personal skills into three disciplines—self-awareness, self-regulation and motiva-
tion. Then there are also the two disciplines of social skills—empathy and overall social skills.

These, in turn, are broken down into 12 key personal competencies—such as self-assessment, self-control, ini-
tiative, and optimism—and 13 key relationship competencies—such service orientation, developing others, con-
flict management, and building bonds.

As an example, it would be valuable to be able to rate individuals

on their Social Skill competency in Communication; high points
“Goleman insightfully proposes a way

would be awarded to people doing well at listening deeply and who

to drill down into each person’s

are capable of composing articulate, influential messages.

unique competencies as they relate to
emotions and apply it to a business

Individual competency ratings will doubtless vary dramatically, but

model to improve the level at which

all individuals will have identified strengths and weaknesses—

people perform in their jobs.”

ideal for training purposes.

Applying EQ in the Workplace

Collaborating on a team, such as when brainstorming, demands high levels of emotional intelligence. Studies
show that working in teams is more productive than individual efforts because the group’s collective IQ is almost
always greater than the IQ of the group’s single smartest person.

There are extensive references to statistical studies throughout the book. One of these studies, which the author
cites, set out to ascertain what percentage of a person’s knowledge to do their job is stored in their brain. In
1986, this was at 75%, but by 1997 this percentage had dropped to about 20%, according to the book’s research.
This shows the increasing importance of team efforts, and the valuable contribution that groups can have in
high-functioning organizations.

If you want to influence and persuade someone else, your ability to arouse “If you want to influence and

specific emotional responses is key. Goleman points out that there are some
persuade someone else, your

simple ways to achieve this. Just smiling is one of the most irresistible emo-
ability to arouse specific

tional signals of all—it’s almost impossible not to respond in kind.

emotional responses is key.”
 Book Review: Working with Emotional Intelligence
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Providing the Necessary Training

Goleman believes the goal of all organizations should be to develop emotionally competent employees. By ignor-
ing emotional intelligence issues in the workplace, you risk ending up with demoralized, unproductive employees.
Goleman lists six common practices that cause workers to disengage: work overload, lack of autonomy, skimpy
rewards, loss of connection, unfairness, and value conflicts. Fortunately, studies show that an individual’s personal
level of emotional intelligence can improve—with training—throughout their lifetime. It’s a phenomenon also
known as wisdom.

A comprehensive table in the book features guidelines that can be applied to create an emotional intelligence
training program. This table contains detailed explanations in a very systematic way, all emphasizing best prac-
tices and pitfalls of each approach.
 Book Review: Working with Emotional Intelligence
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Parting Thoughts
There are some notions on what it means to be smart—and successful—in Working with Emotional Intelligence
that can serve as a catalyst for change in many workplaces.

Over the last 50 years, we’ve seen a succession of generational waves in the workforce. The Baby Boomer gen-
eration of the 70s and 80s valued a strong work ethic, a steady career path, and adequate compensation. Gen-
eration X workers in the 80s and 90s were all about achieving a work-life balance, individual advancement, and
job satisfaction. The generation of Millienials in the workforce today has a marked preference for meaningful
work, for finding a creative outlet, and a need for immediate feedback.

How much of this change in values is due to the efforts of authors like Dr. Daniel Goleman? Probably a lot. Working
with Emotional Intelligence is a highly-readable book, filled with case files and real-life anecdotes you’ll remember
long after finishing the final pages. What makes it particularly striking is the analysis of the best research available
by top psychologists and educators, providing important insights into the ever-changing world we live in. It’s a
remarkable achievement—a must-read to understanding business then and now.

About the Author

DR. DANIEL GOLEMAN is an internationally-known author, psychologist and science
journalist, as well a CEO of Emotional Intelligence Services in Sudbury, Massachusetts.
Goleman worked for the New York Times for many years, reporting on behavioral and
brain sciences. His 1995 book, Emotional Intelligence, was on the New York Times bestseller
list for a year and a half, with more than 5,000,000 copies in print worldwide.

Apart from his books on emotional intelligence, Goleman has written books on topics
including self-deception, creativity, transparency, meditation, social and emotional learn-
ing, ecological literacy and the ecological crisis, and the Dalai Lama’s vision for the future.

Also by Daniel Goleman

1 The Meditative Mind: The Varieties of Meditative Experience, Penguin Putnam, © 1988, ISBN 978-0874778335.
2 Vital Lies, Simple Truths: The Psychology of Self Deception, Simon & Shuster, © 1985, ISBN 978-0684831077.
3 Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bantam Books, © 1995, ISBN 978-0553383713.
4 Healing Emotions: Conversations with the Dalai Lama on Mindfulness, Emotions, and Health, Shambhala,
© 1997, ISBN 978-1590300107.

Working with Emotional Intelligence, by Daniel Goleman. Copyright © 1998, Bantam Books, 400 pages, ISBN 978-0553378580.