Most experts now agree that one of the keys to success in the workplace is a high degree of emotional intelligence. There is a considerable body of research suggesting that a person's ability to perceive, identify, and manage emotions and thoughts provides the basis for the social and emotional competencies that are important for success and productivity in almost any job. This particular set of abilities will become increasingly important as the pace of change in the business world make greater demands on a person's cognitive, emotional and physical resources.
As managers and business executives we have often asked ourselves the following questions:
Why do certain employees get into accidents more often than others?
Why do they violate company ethics and policies?
Why do they ignore the rules of the organisation?
Why do they use illegal drugs while on the job?
Why do some people cause conflict while others are so gifted at resolving it? Why do they put self-interest ahead of the organisational values?
Why do some salespeople build large books of new business with ease while others struggle to do so even though they seem to be putting forth the required effort?
In many cases the answer to the above questions lies in "emotional intelligence" rather than the individual's "personality type." Emotional Intelligence Quotient, or EQ, is a term being used more and more within human resources departments.