Book of the Week: Working with Emotional Intelligence By:Daniel Goleman

Here's another example of a book you should read if ever you plan to manage or supervise people. It certainly puts into perspective the varied ways the human mind works. Daniel Goleman has written extensively on emotional intelligence, as he puts "a different way of being smart", a topic that has been well received by many educators. All of his work has been very informative, providing leaders with a source of insight into the minds of those they lead. I know you have met people and have been baffled by their odd ways. You know those people that are so incredibly intelligent yet also so stupid. This book can help you realize that those people just have a different way of doing things. And at least by reading this book I could see some of the traits in the people I work with and see at the U.

The author gives many examples of how people demonstrate the use or lack thereof emotional intelligence. One group I found interesting were the computer programmers. In his book he describes the approaches taken in the creation of a product. Two programmers equally skilled were asked to explain how they create products for clients. The first programmer begins by describing the needs of his client, in a very brief description. The second programmer discusses the components and the machine language involved, neglecting to mention the client. This description was involved and hard for non-programmers to understand. It became very clear that the second programmer has a problem interacting with people. Where the second programmer may be very skilled at creating a great product, the shortcoming is creating a product that the client really wants and expects. Without the ability to connect to people this programmer is making the process more difficult for both parties.

This inability of bright people to connect with others has been termed computer nerd syndrome. Computer nerd syndrome can be described as trained incapacity. A term used by Stephen Rosen: "The smarter they are, very often the less competent they are emotionally and in handling people. It's as though the IQ muscle strengthened itself at the expense of muscles for personal and social competence."

What an a-ha moment. I began to recall all those people from my past that seem to fit this description. I wonder how successful they became?

Another interesting tidbit:
One of the studies he refers to indicates that IQ does not determine who succeeds in their profession. They found that in professions traditionally relying on IQ markers for success (doctors, lawyers, engineers) have discovered that those who become leaders are more emotional intelligent than their peers. I bet that this would freak out some future doctors studying hard to be the best Head Surgeon. You can't really study for this skill. You have to want to learn and like people as well as be willing to understand your own feelings. Which can be hard for many, particularly in professions where admitting to be human is considered a weakness.

This was a fun read, didn't take me long, and it was interesting to learn about how emotions can impact your intelligence. Very interesting indeed.