The concept of emotional intelligence gained prominence in the 1990s, with the publication of Daniel Goleman’s “Emotional Intelligence.” In his book, Goleman described the findings of John D. Mayer, a professor of psychology at University of New Hampshire, and Peter Salovey at Yale University, who published an article together on emotional intelligence back when the reigning discussion around intelligence and its link to success was still focused on IQ. After happening upon their article, Goleman investigated the idea of emotional intelligence further through studies and research of his own, and he discovered that emotional intelligence – that is, the ability to manage one’s own emotions and perceive others’ feelings – has an equally (if not more) powerful effect on career success as conventional intelligence. In fact, according to the University Consulting Alliance, Goleman found that 67 percent of all abilities associated with strong job performance were related to emotional intelligence.
Numerous studies have backed up Goleman’s assertions. For example, a 2010 study conducted by Virginia Commonwealth University and published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior found that emotional intelligence was incredibly important to job performance. Another study by Multi-Health Systems and discussed in Inc. found that when stress negatively impacted employees’ emotional intelligence, their job performance and career advancement suffered.