The Power of Emotional Intelligence
By Alan Thorlakson

In an increasingly competitive and global marketplace, the leading edge belongs to companies with people who are able to work effectively and efficiently together, generating innovative solutions, delivering quality service and making good decisions. Powerful leadership is the key to maintaining a leading edge. The key to powerful leadership is Emotional Intelligence.

Although a somewhat intangible concept, Emotional Intelligence (EI) combines the personality characteristics demonstrated by successful leaders with the traits and characteristics of personal and professional effectiveness. For example being aware of one's emotions and its impact on others can be crucial to creating a highly engaged work force.

Since its emergence in the early 1990s, Emotional Intelligence has been the subject of an expanding field of study particularly in corporate settings.  The results of one study found that Emotional Intelligence is twice as important as technical skills and IQ for jobs at all levels.

When Daniel Goleman's book Emotional Intelligence – Why it can matter more than IQ was published in 1995, it became a groundbreaking #1 bestseller.   Three years later, the Harvard Business Review published an article on Emotional Intelligence that attracted a higher percentage of readers than any other article published in that periodical in the last 40 years.

Ongoing research provides compelling evidence that Emotional Intelligence is essential to individual and organizational success.  For example, organizations are discovering that Emotional Intelligence measurements can assist in making the recruitment, selection and succession planning process more reliable and more efficient. In a study involving the selection of recruiters (front-line HR personnel), an organization found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher in the Emotional Intelligence competencies of assertiveness, empathy, happiness, and emotional self-awareness.  By using these Emotional Intelligence measures, their ability to predict successful recruiters increased by nearly three-fold and they estimated attained savings of $3 million annually.

The good news is that Emotional Intelligence, unlike IQ, can be improved. In my experience, coaching individuals and groups on characteristics defined in Emotional Intelligence, I have witnessed profound, positive changes.  In some cases, I have seen 'derailed careers' move to the 'fast track'.

What does the future hold for Emotional Intelligence as a critical element in leadership assessment and development?  I predict that it is here to stay.   More research is required to fine-tune our understanding of this important topic, particularly its relationship to IQ and technical skills, both of which play an obvious role in the world of work.  From an HR practitioner's and manager's perspective, I am confident that, even in its current stage of development, a strong business case can be presented to show how Emotional Intelligence contributes to the bottom line in any organizational setting.

Additional Information

Goleman, D.G., Boyatzia, R. & McKee, A. (2002). Primal Leadership – Realizing the power of Emotional Intelligence. Harvard Business School Press.

Matseba, T, (February 2005). International leadership expert says emotional intelligence is a better predictor of success.  Presentation at the University of South Africa's Graduate School of Business Leadership (SBL) in Midrand.

Goleman, D. (1995) Emotional Intelligence – Why it matters more than IQ. Bantall Dell.l

Goleman, D., (November-December, 1998). What makes a great leader? Harvard Business Review, 94.

Cherniss, C., (April, 2000). Emotional Intelligence:What it is and why it matters. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, New Orleans, LA.

Cherniss, C. The business case for Emotional Intelligence. Paper – Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University.

Alan Thorlakson, MA, CMC, CIM, P.Mgr., F.CIM, FLMI is the Senior Vice President of The Harris Consulting Corporation.  He is certified to administer the Emotional Quotient Inventory® (EQ-i®) and Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotion Intelligence Test™ (MSCEIT™) and conducts individual coaching and group workshops on Emotional Intelligence.