Daniel Goleman: Why Emotional Intelligence May Be the Number One Indicator of Organizational Success

Ponder for a moment the ways people interact differently in today’s workplace when compared to historical norms. Remote and flexible work arrangements have become commonplace. Emails and text messages often replace real-time conversations — sometimes with the person visible across the room! The gig economy has normalized temporary, impersonal work

While organizations covet a means to manage these challenges, the fact remains that a large part of the solution resides within each employee and how they manage themselves. Daniel Goleman, psychologist and author of Optimal , deems this emotional intelligence (EI) , which he considers one of the most powerful and adaptive human capabilities.

“Emotional intelligence is a set of personal skills 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.”

This skill set has become even more essential as workplaces become increasingly decentralized, divers

For example, he posits that active listening and emotional intelligence are inextricably linked. “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,” he says. Now consider how poor listening might manifest in technology meeting spaces, trying to meet a deadline while facing a