100 GREAT BUSINESS IDEAS • 187Emotional intelligence (EI) is a person’s ability to acquire and
apply knowledge from their emotions and the emotions of others, in
order to be more successful and lead a more fulfi lling life.
The idea
Psychologist Daniel Goleman popularized his view of emotional
intelligence in the 1995 bestseller Emotional Intelligence: Why it
can matter more than IQ. Building on the work of Howard Gardner
and Peter Salovey, he highlighted the fact that EI is evident in fi ve
key areas:
- Knowing one’s emotions.
- Managing emotions.
- Motivating oneself.
- Recognizing emotions in others.
- Handling relationships.
Emotions are critical in determining a leader’s success. In times
of change, pressure, or crisis, possessing EI is advantageous, as
success is determined by recognizing, understanding, and dealing
with emotions. For example, we may all feel anger, but EI means
knowing what to do with the emotion of anger to achieve the
best outcome. EI enables us to sense and use emotions, helping
us to manage ourselves and infl uence positive outcomes in
our relationships.