Reading list on EQ, EI, and more
This is by no means an exhaustive list, if you believe there are books that we should include in future, please let us know.
The EQ Edge: emotional intelligence and your success
Third Edition, Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book, 2012
The EQ Edge was written as a companion to the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-I 2.0), the oldest and most widely researched of the EQ assessments. The book includes an entire chapter for each of the 15 EQ factors measured by the EQ-i. Each chapter defines the factor in depth, describing what it is and what it is not, and how it relates to the other factors. Each chapter also includes some self- assessment questions for that factor, and exercises and self-assignments to assist you in developing that element of EQ.
Search Inside Yourself: the unexpected path to achieving success, happiness (and world peace)
Chade-Meng Tan, 2012
This book is the result of a course that was created for Google employees by Chade-Meng Chan in partnership with Dr. Daniel Goleman. Meng, as he is known, makes a great case for emotional intelligence in the workplace from the perspective of an engineer and goes on to make a great case for mindfulness meditation as a pathway to greater emotional intelligence, again, from the perspective of a Google software engineer.
The Emotionally Intelligent Manager
David R. Caruso and Peter Salovey, 2004
From two pioneers in the development of the concept of emotional intelligence, they bring an insightful perspective to the role of emotions in management and leadership.
The Other Kind of Smart
Harvey Deutschendorf, 2009
Full of stories and great examples of the application of emotional intelligence based on the Bar- On Model of EQ, which is the basis for the EQ-I 2.0, this book can provide a lot of great ideas for how one can improve their EQ.
The Emotionally Intelligent Team: understanding and developing the behaviours of success
Marcia Hughes and James Bradford Terrell, 2007
Lots of tips and ideas for improving team performance.
Encouraging the Heart: a leader’s guide to rewarding and recognizing others
James Kouzes and Barry Posner, 2003
This is a great component of the “Leadership Challenge” which is all about emotional intelligence in terms of how leaders relate with their employees.
How to Win Friends and Influence People
Dale Carnegie, 1936
This remains, along with Napolean Hill’s, “Think and Grow Rich”, one of the American self-help classics of all time and, guess what, it’s all about emotional intelligence.
The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book: everything you need to know to put your EQ to work
Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
This is a quick and interesting read about emotional intelligence and what you can do to improve your EQ.
Emotional Intelliegence: why it can matter more than IQ
Daniel Goleman, 1995
This is the book that started the current interest in EQ and was a national best seller. Goleman covered the behavioral and brain sciences for the New York Times. This book makes a case for EQ being more critical to success in life than IQ. The book draws heavily from research, and is more of a ‘why you should’ rather than a ‘how to’. A portion of the book is dedicated to the neurobiology of emotions.
Working with Emotional Intelligence
Daniel Goleman, 1998
This is another Goleman book that makes the case for EQ; however, this time the setting is the workplace, and the research base is organizational research. Again, there is little focus on the ‘how to’, but it makes an excellent case for why organizations should become more emotionally intelligent.
Primal Leadership
Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, & Annie McKee, 2002
Like all of Daniel Goleman’s books, this one is interesting, well written, and research- based. The book is written with the help of two co-authors with experience in using EQ principals in teaching leadership. Unlike previous Goleman books on EQ, which did not address the “how to”, this book is divided into three main sections addressing how to teach emotionally intelligent leadership to individuals, teams and organizations. The organizational piece is really a road map for changing an organization’s culture.
Executive EQ
Robert K. Cooper & Ayman Sawaf, 1996
This book approaches EQ from the perspective of leadership. The authors were working with EQ before Goleman wrote his book. Sawaf founded a non-profit organization called Foundation for Education in Emotional Literacy. Cooper has been researching EQ and leadership in organizations for years. The book contains Sawaf’s model Four Cornerstones for EQ, which is more complicated than any I’ve seen, but is very comprehensive. It contains a wealth of EQ tools and some inspiring stories. It also contains a copy of the EQ Map, the first research based, nationally norm-tested, statistically reliable measure of EQ.
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life
Martin Seligman, 1990
Seligman is a clinical psychologist and researcher whose theory of learned helplessness is one of the most profound psychological discoveries of the 20th century. He contends that all things being equal, it is our level of optimism that will determine the level of success in our lives. His book contains a test to measure how optimistic you are. Optimism is an EQ skill. Like other EQ skills, you can learn to be optimistic. Also, check out Authentic Happiness, a newer book, by the same author.
