1995, by Daniel Goleman
This is another foundational reading if you want to understand the importance of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and leadership. When this book was published in 1995, it broke through the misconception that reason guides our self-direction and decision-making. It is difficult now to imagine how ground breaking this book was in 1995, because EI is now fully integrated into the leadership development literature.
Goleman has passages devoted to the science of emotions and reason, as well as drilling down specifically on anger, fear, worry, sadness, in a way that nuances and differentiates between healthy expressions of these emotions and unhealthy manifestations. All of his writing is grounded in research and there are so many pearls of wisdom that I can’t begin to note them here.
I find it helpful to frame the learning about EI into four aspects (1) Emotional self-awareness (2) Emotional self-management (3) Awareness of the emotions of others and (4) Managing others’ emotions. All four of these categories of EI is essential for good leadership and there are many assessments that are designed to measure EI. I have a simple pen-and-paper self-assessment if you want to discover your strengths as well as areas of development. Get in touch using the form below for a copy.