Now, more than ever, executives need to understand how to manage their own stress, and the stress level of their team.  Around 350 BC, Aristotle wrote, "Anyone can become angry - that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way - that is not easy."

Daniel Goleman, the guru of emotional intelligence, studied top executives at companies around the globe, and the results were stunning.  He maintains in his book Working With Emotional Intelligence that "for star performance in all jobs, in every field, emotional competence is twice as important as purely cognitive abilities."  Emotional competence made the crucial difference between mediocre leaders and the best.  On average, he found close to 90% of the top leaders' success in leadership was attributable to emotional intelligence.

The business case for understanding emotional intelligence keeps growing.  Higher EQ scores have been correlated to more ethical behavior, better decision-making, higher creativity, better customer relationships, lower employee turnover, and, of course, better financial performance.

Six Seconds is a global non-profit that teaches EQ skills.  They pulled together decades of research on the topic to make a compelling case for teaching executives the principles of EQ.  Their summary is compelling, and well worth reading.  Click here for a free download of the full report.