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The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book
Book

The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book

Everything You Need to Know to Put Your EQ to Work

Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
Touchstone, 2005
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Editorial Rating

9

Qualities

  • Innovative
  • Applicable

Recommendation

If you had to select the person you think is “most likely to succeed,” how would you go about making your choice? According to authors Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves, you’d miss the mark if you based your choice on educational achievement, intelligence or experience. The main criteria, instead, is a set of social skills known as “emotional intelligence” (EQ) that helps people interact effectively. When you’re emotionally intelligent, your emotions work for – not against – you, and you are respectful and mindful of other peoples’ feelings. Even the most emotionally challenged people can boost their “EQs” by practicing the skills this book outlines. It offers specific examples of how to bring emotional intelligence to bear in a variety of situations at home and at work. getAbstract recommends this book to those who want to use emotional intelligence effectively.

Summary

The Emotion-Reason Connection in Your Brain

In 1848 – thanks to an unusual, grisly accident that befell a good-natured, popular railroad foreman named Phineas Gage – scientists discovered that specific areas of your brain control how you get along with people. When Gage was laying railroad tracks, his assistant got distracted and didn’t take the usual safety measures, thus causing a freak accident – an explosion of gunpowder that blew a heavy, long iron rod through Gage’s forehead. Although he survived, the flying rod removed the front portion of his brain, and Gage lost the ability to moderate his temper or impulses. Though he could still do calculations and function in his job, his life changed dramatically for the worse. Now cranky and erratic, he lashed out at the mildest provocation, appeared irrationally unable to get a grip on his emotions and no longer got along well with his co-workers. As science now knows, the ability to manage your emotions requires effective biological “wiring” between the reasoning and feeling areas of the brain, and Gage had lost that link.

People are emotional creatures, so always be mindful of the role emotions play in your behavior...

About the Authors

Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves are co-founders of an EQ training company, and experts in industrial-organizational psychology.

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    P. A. 2 months ago
    Thank you. That was indeed awesome to read. Made a lot of sense.
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    R. P. 2 years ago
    This is excellent learn
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    R. A. 6 years ago
    this would be a great college course