ABSTRACT
Emotions are not a bad thing, as neurologist Antonio Damasio points out in his book, Descartes Error: "When emotion is entirely left out of the reasoning picture, as happens in certain neurological conditions, reason turns out to be even more flawed than when emotion plays bad tricks on our decisions". When it comes to developing relationships and teamwork, a leader's emotional intelligence is more important than his or her IQ. There are five domains of emotional intelligence (EI)—sometimes labeled as (EQ)—that are important to effective leadership and building strong relationship. They are self-awareness, self- regulation (control), empathy, motivation, and social skills. Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as being the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. The connection is so strong that 90% of top performers have high emotional intelligence. Emotional Intelligence is essential to effective leadership and to putting teachers first to build high-performing schools.
