In 1995, Daniel Goleman, a trained psychologist and science journalist at the New York Times, released a book titled “Emotional Intelligence”. Twenty-five years later, his ideas remain as relevant as ever, although still not fully understood. 

If you’re wondering what emotional intelligence (EQ) is, why it’s constantly dubbed more important than IQ and technical skills, and how to develop it, this guide will provide you with an exhaustive answer. 

What Is Emotional Intelligence? 

Emotional intelligence stands for your ability to appropriately recognize and manage emotions, plus influence the emotions of others. Quoting Daniel Goleman: 

Emotional self-awareness is the building block of the next fundamental emotional intelligence: like being able to shake off a bad mood.

Emotionally intelligent people don’t let negative (or positive emotions) overtake the rational mind in personal and professional settings. For example, instead of engaging in a heated public argument with a colleague who thinks they’re better than you, you try to understand where their superiority complex is coming from and try to deal with the situation privately. …

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