ABSTRACT
This chapter summarises the evolution of emotional intelligence (EI) and names some of the principal theorists. It explores how EI is used and how it can benefit project management. Emotions influence people's actions, their behaviours and their responses to the emotions of others. EI is being recognised as essential to management and business success, to the extent that educational institutions are incorporating it into their syllabuses. Neuro Linguistic Programming (NLP) is very relevant to EI because of the help it provides in personal and interpersonal relations. In project management the simplest yet most effective way to help people share issues or problems and in turn develop their own EI. Whilst a person might have a high Intelligence Quotient (IQ), there is no rule that says they will have a high Emotional Quotient (EQ) or well-developed EI. In fact they might be EQ deficient because their education and training has focused on IQ only.
