APPLYING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN THE WORKPLACE

Many leaders and other professionals tend to stick to the realm of fac ts and intellect when it comes to work and managing people. Emotions a re considered ''leaky.'' But new thought contends that people who trus t their gut feelings and use them effectively can forge better work re lationships, become more productive, and motivate others to accomplish more. Based on this Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadershi p & Organizations, co-written with Ayman Sawaf, Cooper lays out a ''ne w science'' for tapping into intuition and other processes that are co nsidered emotion-oriented. But, Cooper cautions, it's not enough just to have emotions. You have to know how to acknowledge and value feelin gs in yourself and others, and how to respond appropriately to them. T hat's what it means to use emotional intelligence. A firm, Q-Metrics, has developed two instruments for measuring emotional intelligence-whi ch, Cooper says, is learnable at any age. He contends that by using em otional intelligence you can increase you intuition, you capacity to t rust and inspire trust, you sense of integrity and authenticity, your appreciation of constructive discontent, and your ability to find inno vative solutions. You will also become a more effective leader. Emotio nal intelligence can help put you in touch with untapped well-springs of personal and professional growth and creativity. Emotional intellig ence also offers profitable information. Cooper identifies three EQ-re lated forces that drive competitive advantage: building relationships of mutual trust, boosting energy and effectiveness, and creating the f uture. The article includes exercises for forging trust with co-worker s.