Psychology 409b
Dr. Leon James, Instructor
Book Reviewed by: Nicole Reaves
Instructions for this Book Review
Introduction to Emotional Intelligence
"Working with Emotional Intelligence" was written with the purpose of explaining emotional intelligence and educating others on how to improve their emotional intelligence. The book focuses on the role emotional intelligence plays in the workplace. Employers are no longer looking just for workers who have the technical know-how to perform their jobs. They are also focusing on "personal qualities, such as initiative and empathy, adaptability and persuasiveness" (Goleman P. 3). These qualities that go beyond technical expertise are what the author describes as making up the idea of emotional intelligence.
According to the author, "Emotional intelligence refers to the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships." Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of the term "emotional intelligence." I was aware of how important "social skills" were becoming in the workplace. After reading this book, I now understand that these "social skills" are all part of emotional intelligence.
The Emotional Competence Framework
I found the following statement by the author surprising. "Simply being high in emotional intelligence does not guarantee a person will have learned the emotional competencies that matter for work; it means only that they have excellent potential to learn them." In other words, a person may have high emotional intelligence but that will not help them unless they learn and practice the emotional competencies that make up emotional intelligence. On PP. 26 and 27 the author has a table, "The Emotional Competence Framework," which defines five dimensions of emotional intelligence and twenty-five emotional competencies. The author states that it is not required that a person be strong in every competence to achieve outstanding performance. They only need to be strong in at least six competencies spread across the five dimensions. I will briefly describe the five dimensions and the some of the competencies contained in these dimensions. To achieve a higher personal competence people need to focus on the dimensions known as self-awareness, self-regulation, and motivation. Self-awareness requires recognizing your own emotions and their effects, and also knowing your own strengths and weaknesses. Self-regulation involves adaptability, trustworthiness, and keeping your emotions and impulses in check. Finally, motivation includes striving to improve performance, commitment, and continuing to strive to reach goals despite obstacles. To achieve a higher social competence people need to focus on the dimensions known as empathy and social skills. Empathy refers to being aware of the feelings and needs of others. Social skills involves working with others towards a common goal, leadership of individuals or groups, and open communication. Gaining strength in these competencies increases emotional competence. The author does a great job going through each of the 25 competencies in more detail throughout the book. He provides seperate tables for each competence with descriptions of what is required to achieve that particular competence.
What do employers want?
As I already stated, this book describes what employers are now looking for in their employees. Specific technical skills are no longer at the top of the list of desired capabilities. "The three most desired capabilities are communication skills, interpersonal skills, and initiative" (Goleman P. 13). I have seen how important these three capabilities are in my own workplace. I have seen employees that are great when it comes to knowing and understanding the technical aspect of their job. However, they don't work well with the other employees. This results in overall problems of getting the job done in the most effective manner. How employees interact with others is very important in the workplace. The author offers several areas in which higher competence results in an overall gain for the company. The better the workplace runs, the higher the productivity and returns. Employers are looking for workers who have a high competence in understanding others. This means being aware of emotional cues of others, showing sensitivity to others' perspectives, and helping out other people when they are in need. Employers are also looking for workers who have a high competence in developing others. They can recognize and reward the strengths and accomplishments of others, have the ability to offer feedback and help identify what others need for growth, and can act as a mentor that challenges and foster's the skills of others. Finally, employers want workers that have a high competence in service orientation. They need to be able to understand and meet the needs of customers, always be looking for ways to improve customer satisfaction, happily offer assistance as needed, and understand the perspective of the customer which helps to build the customers trust. Strength in these competencies increases work performance by strengthening the "bonds" between workers and their clients.
Why is this book important to read?
When going out to search for a job or working in a current job it is important to be aware of what employers are looking for in their employees. This morning I was watching a movie called "Judgement Day." In this movie, the main character lacked the understanding of what employers want from their employees. The main character went to his boss in search of a raise and a promotion. His boss told him that he wouldn't get these things because he didn't possess qualities that the company was looking for in its workers. The boss said that he was good at working with numbers but lacked any real personal skills. This lack of personal skills is what kept him from getting a promotion. He lacked emotional intelligence. Most everyone at one time or another will be either an employer or an employee. This book would be very helpful for you to read now. This book helps to understand what things can be done to help improve the workplace by increasing emotional intelligence. This book talks about how communication is important in the workplace and how to improve communication. Improved communication would be useful in reducing stress in the workplace. This idea is also something that can be used outside the workplace in any social setting. I don't think anyone lives in a way in which they never have to interact with anyone else. Therefore, this book is helpful for anyone. It explains the importance of recognizing your own emotions as well as those of others. It also talks about the importance of striving to reach goals despite any obstacles you may have to overcome. These are things that occur in the workplace, but they also occur in life outside the workplace. It is important in a relationship such as marriage to be aware of your own feelings and emotions as well as those of your partner. This book can be used to help improve your relationships with those you love.
As we are growing up, our parents strive to teach us manners such as saying "sir" or "thank-you". They also work to teach us right from wrong. Parents can also use the ideas from this book to begin teaching emotional intelligence to their children. Children can be taught how to be motivated to reach goals such as something as simple as saving up their money for something they really want to buy. They can also learn empathy at a young age. It is important that they understand that other people have feelings and emotions that need to be considered. I have already noticed how schools have begun to implement new programs that support improving emotional intelligence. Teachers are working to help children realize how their actions make others feel and what they can do to help improve their relationships with other children. I think this is a great idea. The earlier you begin putting these competencies into action, the stronger you will become.
Other reviews on "Working with Emotional Intelligence"
http://freespace.virgin.net/andy.nlpbookstore/eqbooks.html
I strongly agree with one of the comments made in this review. The book does offer many anecdotes, however, it offers "no 'how to' techniques."
http://www.bookbrowse.com/index.cfm?page=title&titleID=170
This site offers reviews made by different members of the media.
http://www.888fulcrum.com/bookrev3.html
A positive review of the book. The reviewer goes into great detail about different areas within the book.