"Emotional Intelligence, the skills that help people harmonize, should become increasingly
valued as a workplace asset in the years to come.”— Daniel Goleman (International consultant and author, EI)

EI is the capacity to create positive waves in your relationships with others and as an individual.
As part of the chat sessions organised by Indiatimes, Douglas Breckenridge, CEO, The Business Workshop, was amongst the panel of experts who chatted on March 6, 2002 in Delhi The subject, importance of EI and its relevance to corporates and individuals.

Douglas shared his views and experiences on how EI helps an individual perform as a team player. EI also helps an individual identify his/her own emotions and then express them in an Emotionally Intelligent way. Studies have shown that it is not IQ, but EI that is a greater determinant of success for individuals. Douglas stressed that companies, where EI is part of the corporate culture are able to perform better. He cited the case of American Express to prove his point.

“In the case of American Express, life insurance division, the spirits of the sales force had hit rock bottom due to the nature of their job. As everyday, they had to go out and remind people on the transient nature of life and therefore take up life insurance. The company brought in EI to address the situation. It made the sales force realise that they were doing a great service and didn't have to use any hardsell tactics. The sales force felt much better about themselves and their job, which resulted in higher sales and better results for the company.

Additionally, Douglas also suggested reading both “Emotional Intelligence” and “Working with Emotional Intelligence” by Daniel Goleman and "Multiple Intelligences” by Howard Gardner for anyone interested in EI.

The Business Workshop (TBW) is a performance consultancy specialising in the development and delivery of customised learning opportunities as well as organisation development strategies. Having established a base in India since 1992, we have created custom training workshops for many customers, some of whom are listed in the American Fortune 500 companies.

Over the years, we also felt an increasing need to introduce our standard training workshops, which could be relevant to a larger audience. Therefore, in December 1999, we launched our first workshop titled ‘Emotional Intelligence - Survival Skills For The New Millennium’, which was first in the series of Emotional Intelligence workshops and forums we had planned for the year 2000.

For further information about this article or Emotional Intelligence, please email at info@thebusinessworkshop.com