HBR’s 10 Must Reads

On Emotional Intelligence
Harvard Business Review Editors
©2015 by Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation
Adapted by permission of Harvard Business School Publishing Corporation
ISBN: 978-1-63369-019-6
Estimated reading time of book: 3–4 hours

Key Concepts
• Awareness and self-control are at the heart of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence requires under-
standing oneself and others and, based on that understanding, making deliberate choices about how to
behave and lead.
• The defining characteristic of a great leader is emotional intelligence. Leaders differ from one another not only
in technical expertise but in personality and style. However, highly successful leaders all possess emotional
intelligence, the characteristic that sets them apart from other leaders.
• Emotional intelligence can be learned. Though some individuals are more naturally adept at some or all of
the characteristics that constitute emotional intelligence, anyone who wants to become more skilled in this
area can do so through awareness and purposeful effort.
• Good leaders can make bad decisions if they do not practice emotional intelligence. Unconscious cognitive ten-
dencies can lead even the best leader to make a bad decision. Awareness and preventative measures in
the face of red flag conditions are manifestations of emotional intelligence and can prevent poor decision
making.
• Mood, fairness, and civility matter. A leader’s mood affects his or her employees’ moods and can have an impact
on an entire organization. Organizations that treat employees fairly perform better overall than organiza-
tions that do not. Allowing rudeness in the workplace has serious performance and financial consequences.

Introduction
Skill, talent, and experience are all requirements for good leadership. But what distinguishes a great leader
from all the others is emotional intelligence—the awareness of and ability to regulate one’s emotions to drive
a high-performing organization. Emotional intelligence is rapidly becoming a core leadership competency.

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

HBR’s 10 Must Reads On Emotional Intelligence culls from experts in the field to offer wisdom on a variety of
emotional intelligence topics, providing leaders with practical insights about how to enhance their own emo-
tional intelligence and nurture it in others.

What Makes a Good Leader?

by Daniel Goleman
Leaders differ from one another in many ways. Some leadership qualities and skills suit specific situations better
than others. However, one characteristic all great leaders have in common is emotional intelligence. Studies have
shown that, all other skills and capabilities being equal, a leader with emotional intelligence will be far more
successful than his or her counterparts. Emotional intelligence comprises the following components:

• Self-awareness is foundational to emotional intelligence. It is the source for understanding one’s strengths,
weaknesses, attitudes, and relationships toward others—all of which are impacted and influenced by emo-
tional intelligence.
• Self-regulation is the ability to control one’s actions, impulses, responses, attitudes, and behaviors toward
others. Stemming from self-awareness, self-regulation leads to thoughtful, level-headed, and even-tem-
pered attitudes and behaviors in all situations.
• Motivation to achieve in any circumstance is a key trait of those with emotional intelligence. A strong sense
of motivation leads such individuals to keep accurate track of their performance, be optimistic in the face of
adversity, and lead others in a team effort toward excellence.
• Empathy allows people to understand and care about others’ circumstances, thoughts, and feelings. Em-
pathetic leaders are able to inspire trust and confidence in their employees, even in difficult times—which
often leads to better outcomes for everyone.
• Social skill is the ability to find common ground and develop good relationships with others, no matter who
they are, and motivate people in a positive direction. Socially skilled individuals are good at persuading oth-
ers, which is a sign of effective leadership.
While some people are more naturally adept at certain qualities of emotional intelligence, with self-awareness
and commitment anyone can become emotionally intelligent.

Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance

by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
Research indicates a leader’s mood has a profound impact on organizational It was once thought
performance. Through the process of mood contagion, employees adopt the that the components
prevailing mood of their leaders. Positive, optimistic, and genuine leaders of emotional intel-
inspire a similar mood in the people they manage—leading to successful
ligence were “nice
short- and long-term business results. Negative, overbearing leaders who
inspire stress in their employees may achieve strong short-terms results, but to have” in business
over the long term, organizational performance suffers. Therefore, leaders leaders. But now we
must not only possess emotional intelligence but also use that intelligence to know that … these are
monitor and adjust their moods. ingredients that lead-
The following five-step process can help any leader monitor and improve his ers “need to have.”
or her mood to drive organizational effectiveness:

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

1. Define the ideal state. The first step to creating an improved mood is identifying what the ideal mood would be.
2. Recognize the current state. Self-awareness and soliciting feedback from others can help a leader objectively
evaluate her or his prevalent mood, as seen through the eyes of employees.
3. Define a path toward creating the ideal state. Leaders must develop an action plan and take concrete steps
toward improving their moods.
4. Take measures to ensure the change is sustainable. Ongoing, deliberate practice and continually envisioning
the desired mood state can help leaders ensure that this state is long-lasting and ingrained.
5. Seek support. Leaders should enlist others to provide support and feedback toward helping them manage
their moods on an ongoing basis.

Process fairness
Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair
by Joel Brockner
doesn’t ensure that
employees will While leaders might be reluctant to admit it, being fair has often proven to be
always get what they difficult in the business environment. Sometime unfairness stems from emo-
want, but it does tional discomfort, sometimes it is financially driven, and sometimes it is simply
a by-product of corporate policy.
mean that they will
have a chance to be Businesses will sometimes try to financially compensate for uncomfortable
heard. and seemingly unfair practices—for example, by offering robust severance
packages rather than engaging the organization in an open discussion about
terminations. Ironically, not being fair is often more costly than being fair. For example, wrongful termination
lawsuits happen much more often when employees have been left out of the information loop.

Process fairness comes in many forms, ranging from explaining why one person received a promotion over
another to why an organization is downsizing. Often, the fairness issue is more a matter of explanation than
action. Individuals are far more tolerant of negative impacts when they have a clear understanding of why they
happened and have been involved in the decision-making process.

There are three drivers behind process fairness:

1. Whether or not employees feel their opinions are heard and taken into account.
2. If employees believe decisions are made consistently and fairly.
3. How honestly and respectfully managers behave toward employees.
Process fairness is not only the right thing to do, it also drives organizational effectiveness and is financially
prudent. Companies should take the following steps to ensure they are successfully practicing process fairness:

• Address knowledge gaps. Forewarning managers about the emotional impacts of being open and honest
with employees during difficult situations and equipping them with the right information can help manag-
ers better cope with uncomfortable situations and conversations.
• Invest in training. Properly training managers in how to implement process fairness helps ensure better re-
sults, which often includes improvements to the bottom line.
• Make process fairness a top priority. Organizational alignment, from top to bottom, is a prerequisite for mak-
ing process fairness intrinsic to the business.

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions

by Andrew Campbell, Jo Whitehead, and Sydney Finkelstein
Even the best leaders can make bad decisions, and bad information is usually not to blame. There are uncon-
scious cognitive patterns at work that can distort decision making. Leaders with emotional intelligence are
aware of these patterns and can take deliberate steps to make good decisions in spite of them.

Pattern recognition is a cognitive process that makes individuals either react to or ignore current information
based on familiar patterns from previous life experiences. Emotional tagging is a cognitive process through
which an individual ascribes an emotional connection to current information based on previous emotional
experiences. That emotional connection inspires action.

The following three red flag conditions can trigger one or more of these cognitive tendencies, leading to dimin-
ished decision making:

1. Inappropriate self-interest. Individuals are emotionally biased toward information they are in some way per-
sonally connected to.
2. Distorting attachments. Personal bonds to people, places, and things can distort judgement.
3. Misleading memories. Memories individuals have of similar situations can lead them away from making the
right decisions based solely on current circumstances.
Fortunately, astute and aware leaders can overcome these red flag condi-
tions simply by involving others in the decision-making process. Leaders can
To be most effective,
safeguard against bad decision making when cognitive issues come into play the team needs to cre-
through the following three practices: ate emotionally intel-
ligent norms … that
1. Bringing new information, experience, or analysis into the situation.
support behaviors for
2. Inviting additional debate and challenge on the issues.
building trust, group
3. Imposing stronger governance practices. identity, and group
Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups efficacy.
by Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven B. Wolff
A substantial amount of the work accomplished in today’s business environment is done so by teams. There-
fore, it makes sense that companies should strive to create emotionally intelligent teams. While it might seem
logical that staffing a team with emotionally intelligent team members would be enough to ensure an emotion-
ally intelligent team, this is not the case. Emotional intelligence must be built into the group by creating trust
among members, as well as promoting a sense of group identity and group efficacy.

Similar to individual emotional intelligence, emotional awareness and regulation are at the foundation of cre-
ating an emotionally intelligent team. An emotionally intelligent team puts in place practices that promote
mindfulness of individual team members’ emotions as well as the emotions of other groups and people with
whom the team interacts. Emotionally intelligent teams also create norms that help them regulate interactions
and maintain emotional balance as a group in a variety of circumstances, including successes, challenges, and
failures. These norms emphasize and reinforce trust, group identity, and group efficacy.

Teams that are able to become emotionally intelligent as a group are better able to consistently drive high per-
formance. Such teams thrive in organizations that adopt cultures that value their employees’ emotions.

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

The Price of Incivility: Lack of Respect Hurts

Just one habitually Morale—and the Bottom Line
offensive employee by Christine Porath and Christine Pearson
critically positioned
Rudeness in the workplace might not be the first thing leaders think about
in your organization
when they consider employee-based risks to the bottom line, but incivility
can cost you dearly in is in fact on the rise and can be very costly. Those costs come in many forms,
lost employees, lost including:
customers, and lost
• Reduced creativity, poor performance, and employee attrition.
productivity.
• Retaliation in the form of lower productivity or poor product or service
quality levels.
• Loss of business when customers are put off by witnessing rude behavior.
• Incident management when incivility is reported to Human Resources.
Incivility can range from demeaning, emotional outbursts to subtle teasing. Any level of incivility in the work-
place can be destructive and demoralizing. Whether perpetrated by a peer or a leader, it can impact individuals
or entire groups and departments. Unfortunately, incivility is often overlooked as a damaging and costly force.

Leaders and managers play a very important role in eliminating incivility from the workplace through:

• Modeling civil behavior.

• Asking subordinates for feedback.
• Tracking improvements.
• Hiring the right people.
• Teaching civility to their teams.
• Establishing group norms that support civil behavior.
• Rewarding good behavior and penalizing bad behavior.
Leaders need to be on the watch for rudeness in the workplace and create an environment in which employees
feel safe sharing about how they are being treated by others. While exit interviews can be a good resource for
uncovering uncivil behavior, they can be even more revealing when feedback is gathered a few months after
an employee has left the company. At that later time, former employees tend to be more honest and feel more
comfortable sharing negative experiences.

How Resilience Works

by Diane L. Coutu
Resilience often affects whether a business succeeds or fails. It can be very powerful in overcoming even the
most dire situations, and is therefore talked about frequently in today’s business world.

As a personal attribute, resilience is based on three characteristics:

1. The ability to accept reality, for good or for bad.

2. A strongly held, value-based belief that there is meaning in life, regardless of circumstances.
3. The ability to improvise in any situation.
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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors
Resilience should not be confused with optimism. Though resilient people may
frequently display a positive attitude, they are realists and face life honestly. Even
Effective leaders
in the worst of circumstances and under very adverse conditions, resilient people
derive inspiration from deeply held values that allow them to creatively devise
don’t buy into or try
solutions and pathways out of difficulty. to suppress their inner
experiences. Instead
Organizations that are resilient face reality head on; they have created a strong
they approach them
set of core values that enable them to weather the winds of change and develop
innovative solutions, even in a crisis. Their employees understand these values and in a mindful, values-
are able to apply them creatively to develop solutions to challenges. Organizations driven, and produc-
will be better served by building this type of resiliency into their operating struc- tive way.
tures than by simply hiring resilient people.

Both individuals and organizations can become more resilient by understanding the characteristics that lead to
resiliency and working to strengthen those characteristics by:

• Looking at situations realistically rather than through wishful thinking.

• Developing a core set of guiding and sustainable values that give meaning to every situation and interac-
tion.
• Exercising opportunities to be creative in a cycle of continuous improvement.

Emotional Agility: How Effective Leaders Manage Their Negative

Thoughts and Feelings
by Susan David and Christina Congleton
Even the most successful people can be plagued by negative thoughts, which can derail their progress forward
and sap them of energy. When negative thoughts arise, individuals may often:

• Internalize the thoughts and try to avoid situations that bring them up.
• Challenge or rationalize the thoughts so they will go away.
• Force themselves into situations that are counter to their personal values in order to get over the thoughts.
All of these approaches can make the situation worse, increasing rather than decreasing the power of negative
thoughts.

While negative thoughts are unavoidable, individuals can use the following techniques to make sure those
thoughts are not counterproductive:

• Recognize the patterns. Simply becoming aware of when a negative thought pattern arises can help defuse
its power. Awareness opens the opportunity for resolution.
• Label thoughts and emotions. By appropriately naming a negative thought or emotion (rather than consider-
ing it a personal truth), an individual can gain emotional distance from it and view it more rationally. This is
a step toward control.
• Accept negative thoughts. Instead of resisting a negative thought, an individual can merely accept it and not
seek to control it in any way. By taking a self-compassionate approach, an individual is better able to exam-
ine the thought objectively and look for potential resolution.

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

• Act on personal values. Negative thoughts can be signs that there is a misalignment of personal values. Ex-
ploring negative thoughts can be a path toward making life changes that are more in alignment with one’s
true desires.

Organizations profit Fear of Feedback

when executives seek by Jay M. Jackman and Myra H. Strober
feedback and are Many people fear feedback, equating it with early childhood experiences of
able to deal well with being reprimanded. They will often avoid feedback at all costs. However, feed-
criticism. back—especially constructive feedback—offers individuals the opportunity
to learn about themselves and grow.

Often the biggest problem with feedback is not the feedback itself but the person’s attitude toward it. Many
times, individuals exhibit maladaptive behaviors, such as procrastination, denial, brooding, jealousy, and self-
sabotage, in response to feedback—effectively turning the feedback into a negative, self-fulfilling prophecy.

A simple four-step process can help individuals avoid those maladaptive behaviors and instead embrace feed-
back as a growth opportunity:

1. Recognize emotions and responses. Awareness of feelings of fear and an impending maladaptive behavior is
the first step toward avoiding that behavior and accepting the feedback with self-honesty.
2. Get support. When individuals are emotionally vulnerable, support from others can be very helpful. Enlisting
the help of trusted friends and colleagues in working through the feedback can help an individual make the
necessary changes.
3. Reframe the feedback. By removing negative connotations and approaching the feedback as a growth op-
portunity rather than a criticism, an individual is more emotionally prepared to apply the feedback toward
positive change.
4. Break up the task. Even small steps in the right direction are productive. An individual can make better prog-
ress by dividing feedback into smaller tasks and setting time frames for completion.
Internalizing and applying feedback is an achievement. Individuals should make the time to reward and incen-
tivize themselves for these constructive accomplishments. Further, the more one seeks out feedback, the less
daunting it is.

Individuals can improve their attitude toward feedback, while at the same time growing in their careers, by con-
tinually assessing their own progress, looking for external feedback, rationally internalizing the feedback they
receive, and then taking action for further improvement—benefiting both themselves and the organizations
they work for.

The Young and the Clueless

by Kerry A. Bunker, Kathy E. Kram, and Sharon Ting
Organizations are always on the lookout for young, bright, talented, energetic, promising individuals to bring
into the company. Once in, these individuals are often quickly promoted up through the leadership ranks, lest
they defect to another company with more opportunities.

But there is a risk in this practice. All too often these individuals do not yet possess the emotional maturity
required to lead effectively at higher levels. Simply put, their people skills are not yet developed enough to

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

handle the responsibilities that come with executive positions. This can lead to some critical situations that are
costly to both the company and the employee the company has over-promoted.

The solution to this problem is to make emotional competence and emotional maturity top priorities and to
embed their development into the organization’s operations. The following five strategies can help ensure an
organization develops its promising young leaders into seasoned, accomplished veterans:

1. Deepen 360-degree feedback by supplementing questionnaires and rating scales with interviews of peers
and subordinates, and devoting time to follow-up reviews and conversations.
2. Interrupt the ascent of young executives by moving them out of their comfort zones and assigning them
to roles that extend beyond their career paths. Not to be confused with job rotation, this effort includes
removing direct leadership authority.
3. Act on commitments when destructive behavior emerges, in terms of following through on any consequenc-
es or threats. Failure to do so discredits the initiative.
4. Institutionalize personal development by including emotional competence as a concrete performance mea-
sure and defining what is expected of employees.
5. Cultivate informal networks outside of the organization’s hierarchy to help individuals broaden and deepen
their people skills. Mentorships and peer networking are two useful channels.
While delaying a promotion can be frustrating for an upwardly mobile executive, it can be the best thing for
both that individual and the company. Effective leaders are emotionally intelligent leaders. It takes time and
experience to develop the emotional maturity required to effectively lead at the highest levels.

About the Authors

Richard Boyatzis chairs the department of organizational behavior at the Weatherhead School of Manage-
ment at Case Western Reserve University.

Joel Brockner is the Phillip Hettleman Professor of Business at Columbia School.

Kerry A. Bunker is a manager of the Awareness Program for Executive Excellence at the Center for Creative
Leadership.

Andrew Campbell is a director of Ashridge Strategic Management Centre in London.

Christina Congleton, who was formerly a researcher on mindfulness and the brain at Massachusetts General
Hospital, is an associate at Evidence Based Psychology and a certified coach.

Diane L. Coutu is a former senior editor of Harvard Business Review.

Susan David is the CEO of Evidence Based Psychology, a cofounder of the Institute of Coaching, and an instruc-
tor in psychology at Harvard University.

Sydney Finklestein is the Steven Roth Professor of Management at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth
College.

Daniel Goleman cochairs the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations at Rutgers
University.

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HBR’s 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence Harvard Business Review Editors

Jay M. Jackman is a psychiatrist and human resources consultant in Stanford, California.

Kathy E. Kram is a professor of organizational behavior at the Boston University School of Management.

Annie McKee is on the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania’s Graduate School of Education.

Christine Pearson is a professor of global leadership at Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Christine Porath is an associate professor at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business.

Myra H. Strober is a labor economist and professor at Stanford University’s School of Education, and by courtesy
at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She is also a human resources consultant.

Sharon Ting is a manager of the Awareness Program for Executive Excellence at the Center for Creative Leader-
ship.

Vanessa Urch Druskat is an assistant professor of organizational behavior at the Weatherhead School of Man-
agement at Case Western Reserve University.

Jo Whitehead is a director of Ashridge Strategic Management Centre in London.

Steven B. Wolff is an assistant professor of management at the School of Management at Marist College.

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