We have all met people who are academically brilliant, but who have great difficulty with social and interpersonal relationships. The concept of emotional intelligence (EQ) is one way of reconciling that, in that it recognises that academic ability alone does not create success as a manager or leader, and that managers and leaders require an extra dimension for success. 

This does not mean that IQ is unimportant, but it suggests that to be successful, you need to know how to recognise and manage your own emotions and identify and work with other people’s too. The ability or otherwise to do this is referred to as ‘emotional competency’ and is a key strength for any manager or leader.

Many studies have recognised that by developing capacities for identifying and dealing with their own emotions as well as those of others, managers can become effective in the many complex interpersonal situations they confront daily.

Emotional intelligence can be clustered into the four key areas: 

• Self-awareness – the ability to recognise your own emotions and appreciate how they impact upon your thoughts, behaviours and performance
• Self-management – the ability to control emotions in a positive way, take initiative and adapt to changing circumstances
• Social awareness – being able to recognise and understand emotional cues in other people and teams
• Relationship management – the ability to develop and maintain relationships, inspire others, manage conflict and work well in a team.