The Importance of Emotional Intelligence

Abstract

Emotional intelligence (EI) is another lens through which to view personality. Rather than traits, we look at emotional capabilities and competencies. Following Goleman, there are six sets of emotional intelligences that suggest whether one can be more or less successful as a leader. We focus on three. They are (1) listening and (2) other-centeredness, both of which are based on the EI of empathy, and (3) demeanor, based on the EI of self-regulation. Deficiencies in these EIs and competencies account for much of the failure in leadership. Though deficiencies in personality traits can be compensated for by delegating to others, delegation is not a strategy for deficits in EIs since one can’t delegate every interaction. Strategies for overcoming these deficiencies by improving EI-based competencies are the only solution and are the subject of this chapter.