In his fascinating new book Outliers: The Story of Success, Malcolm Gladwell makes a strong case that people owe their success to a lot more than IQ. He reviews data and offers convincing cases to show that above an IQ in the neighborhood of 110-115, IQ fails as a predictor of success in a career. … Read more »
Yearly Archives:: 2008
Can There be an Emotionally Intelligent Society?
I found an intriguing answer to this question when I made a recent visit to the picturesque seaside city of San Sebastian, capital of Gipuskoako, one of three provinces that make up the Basque area of Spain. San Sebastian also happens to be a world-class center for the development of social and emotional intelligence, due… Read more »
Flame Out
At last there’s a way to cool down before we flame online; those folks at Google have come up with a remedy for emotional hijacks at the keyboard. A “flame” occurs when we’re a bit agitated – frustrated, anxious, jealous, emotionally desperate – and compose an email, hit “Send” … and regret having sent it…. Read more »
Good Work!
What’s the connection between our work and leading a good life? Howard Gardner and I (we’ve known each other since our grad school days) had the chance to explore this question when we got together near Cambridge for a taped conversation (you can listen in on Good Work: Aligning Skills and Values, available from www.MoreThanSound.net)…. Read more »
What’s Your Emotional Style?
Who among us has not gotten upset by an argument, an unsettling talk with our boss, or a bad grade? And have you noticed that some of us get over these troubling encounters quickly, while others sulk or fume for a long time? Just why people some people are better at recovery than others, and… Read more »
Calm Down and Pay Attention: Cultivating Emotional Intelligence for Kids
The scene: a first-grade classroom in a Manhattan school. Not just any classroom, this one has lots of Special Ed students, who are very hyperactive. So the room is whirlpool of activity, some a bit frenzied. The teacher tells the kids that they’re going to listen to a CD. The kids quiet down a bit…. Read more »
Build Your Will Power
Those of us who struggle to resist junk foods or otherwise suffer a lack of will power will be heartened by some good and bad news from neuroscience. First, the bad news. A slew of studies suggest that we each have a fixed neural reservoir of will power, and that if we use it on… Read more »
When Emotional Intelligence Does Not Matter More Than IQ
The sub-title of my 1995 book Emotional Intelligence reads, “Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.” That subtitle, unfortunately, has led to misinterpretations of what I actually say – or at least it seems to among people who read no further than the subtitle. I’m appalled at how many people misread my work and make… Read more »
Leadership: Social Intelligence is Essential
I’ve long argued that outstanding leadership requires a combination of self-mastery and social intelligence. What’s the difference? Self-mastery refers to how we handle ourselves; for those familiar with my model of emotional intelligence, self-mastery breaks down into self-awareness and self-control. The leadership competencies that build on self-mastery include self-confidence, the drive to improve performance, staying… Read more »
Some Big News About Learning
Here’s a sneak preview of some headlines that you’ll see in the next few months: teaching kids to be more emotionally and socially competent boosts their academic achievement. More precisely, when schools offer students programs in social and emotional learning, their achievement scores gain around 11 percentile points. In the era of No Child Left… Read more »