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Emotional Intelligence and Relationships

¡§Anyone can become angry ¡V that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way ¡V this is not easy.¡¨
~ By Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics ~

Traditionally, management were only interested on return on investment (ROI) and shareholder value, not the neurobiology of emotions doing business. However, in modern days, there is probably nothing as important as having good human relationships in the workplace. Whether one is a chief executive officer, a consultant, a manager or team member, achieving results requires a productive working relationship with others. As such, having positive and sustainable human relationships is the bedrock for business effectiveness. According to Goleman, ¡§Emotional Quotient (EQ) defines our capacity for relationship (Goldmen 1995)¡¨ and added, ¡§Rational intelligence only contributes about 20% to the factors that determine success in life. Some extraneous factors such as luck, and particularly the characteristics of EQ, constitute the other 80% (Goldmen 1995).¡¨

WHAT IS EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT?

By themselves, the discoveries in Emotional Quotient (EQ) are not new. Over the centuries, there have been numerous studies conducted to understand the workings ¡¥emotions¡¦ and its practical importance. One of the earliest historical literature recordings dates back to 1st century B.C by Publilius Syrus, a Latin writer of mimes. Syrus states, ¡¥Rule your feelings, lest your feelings rule you¡¦ (Hang 1999). In other words, people should take control of their feelings and emotions rather then allowing it to control their intellect and values (also known as emotional-hijacking). Today¡¦s contemporary authors have since further expanded Syrus¡¦ definition, which subsequently lead to the development of the EQ concept. EQ can be simply defined as:
¡§EQ is the ability to sense, understand, and effectively apply the...