Project Management and the Importance of Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
Dr. Joan Bold
Robert Campbell
Webster University
11/10/17
Introduction
Management author Fred Fiedler wrote, “Leadership is the use of influence to accomplish a task” (F. Fielder, A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967). This point is reinforced in Working with Emotional Intelligence, a book written by Daniel Goleman in which he explains the importance of understanding and dealing with people through self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Technical skills are important but soft skills such as emotional intelligence (EQ) are both critical and necessary for effective leadership. Simply put, leadership requires …show more content…
What exactly is it? There appears to be at least four major definitions. The term itself can be credited to two psychologists, Peter Salovey and John Mayer, who conducted a study in which they sought to determine why some exceptionally intelligent people failed to be successful. They ultimately concluded these individuals experienced difficulty largely because of their lack of interpersonal skills and subsequently defined EQ as a group of mental abilities that help people to recognize their own feelings and those of others. (P. Salovey and J.D. Mayer, “Emotional Intelligence,” Imagination, Cognition, and Personality 9 (1990), pp. 185-211). We then move on to a Dr. Reuven Bar-On, an Israeli psychologist who proposed a quantitative approach to creating an EQ score comparable to an IQ score. He believed that EQ could be used to measure human effectiveness and defined it as a set of 15 competencies that determine how effective individuals are at understanding and expressing themselves, understanding others and interacting with them, and coping with day to day situations. (R. Bar-On, The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) (Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems, 1996). The Mayer, Salovey, and Bar-On definitions of EQ fall into what is referred to as the ability model category, or those that focus on how emotions affect how leaders think, decide, and act. Next, Rick Aberman, who pioneered a program designed specifically to meet the needs of highly …show more content…
In the 1980’s Howard Gardner proposed seven different kinds of intelligence. Two of these, interpersonal and intrapersonal, form the basis of emotional intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand other people. Intrapersonal intelligence is a correlative ability turned inward. (Taken from The Art of Leadership)
2. Author Daniel Goleman stated, “Nice guys finish first”.
a. The best commands, forces, and companies are run by caring leaders with emotional intelligence to balance a people-oriented personal style with a decisive command role and willingness to make difficult decisions.
3. It is difficult to single out one trait as most important; however, one overall characteristic is persuasiveness. Can you get buy-in for your ideas from the people around you? The most effective leaders have a finely-honed ability to influence others.
4. People with high EI are better at interpersonal relations and perform better in teams. Human relations and teamwork can be improved through emotional intelligence training.
Organizational Behavior and
Dr. Joan Bold
Robert Campbell
Webster University
11/10/17
Introduction
Management author Fred Fiedler wrote, “Leadership is the use of influence to accomplish a task” (F. Fielder, A Theory of Leadership Effectiveness (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1967). This point is reinforced in Working with Emotional Intelligence, a book written by Daniel Goleman in which he explains the importance of understanding and dealing with people through self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy, and social skills. Technical skills are important but soft skills such as emotional intelligence (EQ) are both critical and necessary for effective leadership. Simply put, leadership requires …show more content…
What exactly is it? There appears to be at least four major definitions. The term itself can be credited to two psychologists, Peter Salovey and John Mayer, who conducted a study in which they sought to determine why some exceptionally intelligent people failed to be successful. They ultimately concluded these individuals experienced difficulty largely because of their lack of interpersonal skills and subsequently defined EQ as a group of mental abilities that help people to recognize their own feelings and those of others. (P. Salovey and J.D. Mayer, “Emotional Intelligence,” Imagination, Cognition, and Personality 9 (1990), pp. 185-211). We then move on to a Dr. Reuven Bar-On, an Israeli psychologist who proposed a quantitative approach to creating an EQ score comparable to an IQ score. He believed that EQ could be used to measure human effectiveness and defined it as a set of 15 competencies that determine how effective individuals are at understanding and expressing themselves, understanding others and interacting with them, and coping with day to day situations. (R. Bar-On, The Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) (Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems, 1996). The Mayer, Salovey, and Bar-On definitions of EQ fall into what is referred to as the ability model category, or those that focus on how emotions affect how leaders think, decide, and act. Next, Rick Aberman, who pioneered a program designed specifically to meet the needs of highly …show more content…
In the 1980’s Howard Gardner proposed seven different kinds of intelligence. Two of these, interpersonal and intrapersonal, form the basis of emotional intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence is the ability to understand other people. Intrapersonal intelligence is a correlative ability turned inward. (Taken from The Art of Leadership)
2. Author Daniel Goleman stated, “Nice guys finish first”.
a. The best commands, forces, and companies are run by caring leaders with emotional intelligence to balance a people-oriented personal style with a decisive command role and willingness to make difficult decisions.
3. It is difficult to single out one trait as most important; however, one overall characteristic is persuasiveness. Can you get buy-in for your ideas from the people around you? The most effective leaders have a finely-honed ability to influence others.
4. People with high EI are better at interpersonal relations and perform better in teams. Human relations and teamwork can be improved through emotional intelligence training.
Organizational Behavior and