You know, in the future, I think emotional intelligence will be one of several abilities that we need. Another, of course, is cognitive ability, IQ, and maybe AI will take over more and more of that.

However, emotional intelligence is a human ability and will always remain so. IQ predicts how well you’ll do in your school years and how much salary you can make over the course of a career because it says what job you can get into, like being a business executive or a doctor or a lawyer.

But once you’re in those professions, everybody else is about as smart as you are.

That’s where emotional intelligence kicks in. People who emerge as outstanding performers or the best leaders have high emotional intelligence, and their IQ is not that relevant at that point.

I’m Daniel Goleman. I’ve written many books, mostly on emotional intelligence. That’s really my favorite topic. The book Emotional Intelligence, many years ago, was an international bestseller.

I’ve written now five books on the topic. My most recent is Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day. Emotional intelligence is a set of personal skills that we learn in life.

It’s a combination of self-awareness, managing your emotions well, empathy, tuning into other people, and putting that all together to have harmonious or effective relationships.

Emotional intelligence has been talked about for centuries. Philosophers were talking about know thyself.

That’s self-awareness. But when I wrote the Emotional Intelligence book in ‘95, it was the first time that, for a popular audience, emotional intelligence had become well known.

I was a science journalist at The New York Times back then, and I’d been covering a decade of research on the brain and emotion.

And in doing so, I came across a very obscure article called Emotional Intelligence, and I loved the title. It was by Peter Salovey, who was just stepping down as the president of Yale University, and his then graduate student, John Mayer.

And I thought, Wow, what a great phrase. It seems like an oxymoron. You don’t put emotions together with intelligence.

But
actually, it’s being intelligent about emotions.
When I wrote Emotional Intelligence, I was
actually thinking of bringing it to schools.

It seemed to me that kids should learn
from the get-go how to manage themselves,
how to tune into themselves, how to tune
into other people, how to get along, how to behave well, and so on.

I was a big advocate
of what’s now called social-emotional learning.

And from early on, my view of emotional
intelligence hasn’t really changed much,
but I integrated it with findings from research
on outstanding performers. And I saw that different abilities of high performers,
like being able to manage your emotions,
fit well in the model.

And now I talk about
four domains of emotional intelligence and then twelve particular competencies of people
who are high in emotional intelligence.

Self-awareness means you know what you’re feeling,
you know how it shapes your perceptions and your thoughts and your impulse to act.

We find in
our research that people low in self-awareness
are unable to develop strengths very well in
other parts of emotional intelligence. People who are high in self-awareness, however, are
able to develop excellence across the board.

Self-management means when you’re upset,
when you’re angry, when you’re anxious, can you manage your emotions?

Can you keep them
from disrupting your focus on what you have to
do right now? We’re having more instances of road
rage, of shootings, of people blowing up at other people.

There’s a growing need for people
in general to get better at this ability.
The third part is social awareness,
which, in one sense, means practicing empathy.

You not only know how the person thinks
and how they feel, you care about them. This is what you want in your parents.

This is what you
want in your spouse. This is what you want in your lover.

This is what you want in your friends. And 
this is what you want in your teachers, doctors, leaders of any kind, people who have influence.

The fourth part of emotional intelligence is relationship management. Can you handle conflicts well? Can you keep yourself calm and listen to the other person?

Are you 
being an effective communicator? Full rapport  means that you feel close, you feel you can 
work with this person, you can trust them.

Unlike IQ, which barely budges over the course 
of our life, emotional intelligence can change. 
It’s learned and learnable. And it’s learned 
and learnable at any point in life. Emotional intelligence is not one thing.

It’s like going to 
a doctor for a physical. You get your lipids and your good cholesterol, bad cholesterol.

You get 
fifteen data points. Emotional intelligence is a 
set of abilities, and each of us has strengths and 
limitations across that spectrum. So if you want to improve your emotional intelligence, 
see where you need to improve first.

One of the common colds of emotional intelligence 
is poor listening. You know, we think about what we want to say and we don’t really listen to the 
other person.

We cut them off. We interrupt. Let’s say you wanted to change that.

This is a basic of 
empathy, listening well. So if you want to learn to be better at empathy, you might say, "My habit 
is cutting people off and interrupting.

I’m going to make the effort to do it differently.

I’m going to listen to the person out, 
say what I think they mean, and then say what I 
think." That is a different behavioral sequence.

And it comes down to the basics of what we call 
neuroplasticity, how the brain changes with 
repeated experience, and that’s what underlies 
habit change. It’s a little like crossing your arms in a new way.

Cross your arms in the old way, please. Now cross them with the other arm on top.

That feels uncomfortable. That’s what it’s like to change a habit. So with listening, you have to, at first, make an intentional effort. It might feel uncomfortable. But as you persist, it gets more and more comfortable until finally, it’s an automatic habit that will stay with you for years.

You know, I’ve gone around the world talking to different audiences, and one of the things I love to ask is, tell me about a leader you’ve loved and a leader you hate, and tell me one quality that makes a leader so good or so bad.

Basically, the leader you hate is low in emotional intelligence. They don’t manage their emotions very well. They blow up at people, don’t empathize, they don’t tune in, they don’t understand how clueless they are.

The leader you love is high in it. Having a boss with high emotional intelligence means you feel not only inspired, not only motivated, you feel supported, you feel guided, you feel you have clarity about what’s expected from you.

You give your best in your best state, in the optimal state, not in a desperate, stressed-out state.

Research at the Yale School of Management has found that emotions are contagious, and they’re most contagious from the leader outward.

The leader is most often the center of strong emotions, either negative or positive. And this very research by Sigal Barsade has shown that if the leader is in a negative mood, very anxious, for example, people on that team will catch that mood and performance goes down.

If the leader is in a very positive mood, I feel really good, I feel enthusiastic, then people catch that positive mood, and their performance as a team or as a group goes up.

So the leader's state is actually much more important on the ability of people to do good work than many people realize, particularly many leaders, actually.

But if you have a leader that you hate, for example, and sadly, too many people do, then you really don’t give your best.

In fact, you’re more likely to leave as soon as you can, particularly if you’re talented.

So a leader with low emotional intelligence is actually draining the organization in the long term. They may get results for the quarter by driving people, by stressing them out, but they’re burning them out and they’re going to lose good people.

So in the short term, they may look good. In the long term, it’s a disaster.

I once took a bus up Madison Avenue in New York City on a very hot, humid day. People had a kind of bubble around them, like, don’t touch me, don’t talk to me, and I had the bubble too.

I got on the bus, and the bus driver shocked me.

He looked at me and very warmly said, "Welcome to the bus.

How’s your day going?" And then I realized sitting on the bus that he was carrying on a conversation with everyone on the bus. "You’re looking for suits, are you?

Well, there’s a great sale up here on the right at this department store." "Did you see the exhibit in the museum on the left?

" On and on and on. Then people would get off that bus, and they’d been transformed from kind of grumpy to pretty upbeat.

It was kind of magical. And years later, I saw an article in the New York Times about that bus driver.

His name, it turned out, was Govan Brown. He had fans. People would wait for his bus.

He got three thousand letters saying what a great bus driver he was, not one complaint. And he, it turned out, was the pastor of a church, and he saw the people on his bus as part of his flock.

He was tending to his flock. He had a purpose that was far greater than that of the New York Transit Authority, which is something like getting as many people to where they want to go on time as we can.

He had a splendid sense of what he was doing. It gave a greater meaning to what he did, and he did it superbly.

I’ve always felt that the more emotional intelligence in society, the better. I think we would have parents who are more effective in raising kids, who are kinder.

We’d have more compassion for each other in our interactions with friends and loved ones as well as with strangers. I think we would care more about the environment, which is why I’ve been happy to be a kind of evangelist for emotional intelligence, if you will.

I’m not the originator of the phrase. I think I made it more famous.

I just think it would make a better world.

12 traits emotionally intelligent people share (You can learn them) | Daniel Goleman for Big Think+

Big Think is the leading source of expert-driven, actionable, educational content -- with thousands of videos, featuring experts ranging from Bill Clinton to Bill Nye, we help you get smarter, faster. Get actionable lessons from the world’s greatest thinkers & doers. Our experts are either disrupting or leading their respective fields. We aim to help you explore the big ideas and core skills that define knowledge in the 21st century, so you can apply them to the questions and challenges in your own life. Other Frequent contributors include Michio Kaku & Neil DeGrasse Tyson.

Head to bigthink.com for a multitude of articles just as informative and satisfying as our videos. New articles posted daily on a range of intellectual topics. ​Join Big Think+ to gain access to an immense library of content. It features insight from many of the most celebrated and intelligent individuals in the world today.

   - Subscribe for daily videos.
   - Business inquiries and fan suggestions welcome.

Big Think

Emotional intelligence, a combination of self-awareness, self-management, social awareness (empathy), and relationship management, is crucial for personal and professional success, especially in leadership roles.

Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence is a learned and learnable skill that can be improved at any point in life through consistent effort and practice, leading to better relationships and overall well-being.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence create positive and productive environments, inspiring and supporting their teams, while those lacking it can negatively impact performance and drive away talent.

🧠 The Essence of Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman, author of "Emotional Intelligence", defines it as **a set of personal skills encompassing self-awareness, emotional management, empathy, and effective relationships**. These skills are crucial for navigating life and interacting with others harmoniously.

While IQ is important for academic and career entry, **emotional intelligence becomes the differentiator for outstanding performance and leadership once individuals are in their chosen fields**. Unlike IQ, emotional intelligence is learnable and can be improved throughout life.

🧭 Four Domains of Emotional Intelligence

Goleman outlines four key domains of emotional intelligence. **Self-awareness, the first domain, involves understanding one's own feelings and how they influence thoughts and actions**. Low self-awareness hinders the development of other emotional intelligence strengths.

Self-management, the second domain, is **the ability to manage emotions, especially during stressful situations, preventing them from disrupting focus**. Social awareness, the third, involves empathy and caring about how others think and feel. Relationship management, the fourth, encompasses handling conflicts effectively and communicating well to build trust and rapport.

🛠️ Improving Your Emotional Intelligence

Emotional intelligence, unlike IQ, is a collection of abilities. **Improving it requires identifying areas for growth**. One common area for improvement is listening skills, where individuals often interrupt or fail to fully listen to others.

To improve listening, one can intentionally focus on listening without interrupting, summarizing what the other person means, and then sharing one's own thoughts. **This requires conscious effort and may feel uncomfortable initially, but with persistence, it becomes a habit due to neuroplasticity**.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence inspire, motivate, support, and provide clarity, enabling individuals to perform at their best. Conversely, leaders lacking emotional intelligence can be detrimental, leading to stress, burnout, and high turnover. **Emotions are contagious, especially from leaders, impacting team performance positively or negatively**.

🚌 The Bus Driver: An Example of Emotional Intelligence in Action

Goleman shares the story of Govan Brown, a New York City bus driver who transformed his passengers' moods through warmth and engagement. **Brown's actions exemplified emotional intelligence by connecting with people and making a difference in their day**. He saw his role as more than just transportation; he was tending to his "flock."

🌍 A Vision for a More Emotionally Intelligent World

Goleman envisions a world with greater emotional intelligence, leading to kinder parents, more compassion, and increased care for the environment. **He believes that promoting emotional intelligence can contribute to a better society overall**.

The importance of emotional intelligence alongside cognitive ability.

Emotional intelligence is a uniquely human ability that will remain relevant despite AI advancements.

IQ predicts academic success and career opportunities, but emotional intelligence is key for outstanding performance and leadership once in those professions.

Introduction to Daniel Goleman and his work on emotional intelligence.

Daniel Goleman is an author specializing in emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is a set of personal skills involving self-awareness, emotion management, empathy, and relationship skills.

The history and popularization of emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence concepts have been discussed for centuries, but Goleman's book in 1995 popularized it.

Goleman, a science journalist, discovered the term "Emotional Intelligence" in an article by Peter Salovey and John Mayer.

The potential of emotional intelligence in education and its integration with performance research.

Goleman initially envisioned bringing emotional intelligence concepts to schools for social-emotional learning.

Goleman integrated emotional intelligence with research on high performers, identifying four domains and twelve competencies.

The four domains of emotional intelligence: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management.

Self-awareness involves understanding one's own feelings and how they influence thoughts and actions.

Self-management is the ability to manage emotions, especially in stressful situations.

Social awareness includes empathy and caring about how others think and feel.

Relationship management involves handling conflicts effectively and communicating well.

Emotional intelligence is learnable and changeable throughout life, unlike IQ.

Emotional intelligence is a set of abilities with varying strengths and weaknesses for each individual.

Improving emotional intelligence requires identifying areas for improvement and practicing new behaviors.

Improving listening skills as a component of empathy through neuroplasticity and habit change.

Poor listening is a common issue, and improving it involves actively listening and understanding others' perspectives.

Changing habits, like improving listening, requires intentional effort and persistence due to neuroplasticity.

The impact of leaders' emotional intelligence on their teams.

Leaders with low emotional intelligence negatively impact their teams through poor emotion management and lack of empathy.

Leaders with high emotional intelligence inspire, motivate, and support their teams, leading to optimal performance.

Emotions are contagious, especially from leaders, impacting team performance positively or negatively.

Employees are more likely to leave leaders with low emotional intelligence, draining the organization in the long term.

An anecdote illustrating the positive impact of emotional intelligence on a New York City bus driver.

A bus driver named Govan Brown transformed passengers' moods with his warm greetings and conversations.

Govan Brown was beloved by passengers and saw his role as tending to his flock, giving greater meaning to his work.

The broader societal benefits of emotional intelligence.

Increased emotional intelligence in society would lead to more effective and kinder parenting.

Emotional intelligence can foster greater compassion, care for the environment, and overall improve the world.

12 traits emotionally intelligent people share (You can learn them) | Daniel Goleman for Big Think+

12 traits emotionally intelligent people share (You can learn them) | Daniel Goleman for Big Think+

Scripts