A Practical Framework for Thinking About Emotional Intelligence at Work

Lately I’ve been interested in the work of Daniel Goleman and his Emotional Intelligence Framework, particularly as it relates to startups, sales and sales leadership. Below is a practical outline of the key elements of Goleman’s framework that I summarized and reframed as traits and capabilities — based on an inventory prepared by The Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence; adapted into a questionnaire by Belinda Davies.

In a crude sense you may find this list helpful when assessing your own development or the attributes of others — or benchmarking EQ in your workplace. Each can be graded on a scale of Underdeveloped to Excellent.

1. PERSONAL COMPETENCE

A. Self awareness

• You’re emotionally aware. You understand how your own emotions impact your performance.
• You know your own strengths and limits and are open to feedback.
• You’re self confident and decisive.

B. Self regulation 

• You’re able to manage disruptive emotions.
• You’re trustworthy, honest and principled. 
• You’re conscientious and take responsibility for personal performance.
• You’re adaptable and flexible in handling change.
• You’re innovative and open to new ideas.

C. Self motivation

• You’re driven to continuously improve and meet new standards of excellence.
• You’re committed and aligned with the organization’s goals.
• You take initiative and you’re ready to act on opportunities.
• You’re optimistic and persist despite obstacles or setbacks.

2. SOCIAL COMPETENCE

A. Social awareness 

• You have empathy and a genuine interest in others.
• You’re service oriented and anticipate and meet customer needs.
• You develop others and sense what others need and support their growth.
• You leverage diversity and cultivate opportunities through diverse people.
• You’re politically aware and read emotional currents and power relationships in a group.

B. Social skills 

• You have persuasiveness skills. 
• You’re able to communicate in clear, succinct, and convincing ways.
• You’re able to inspire and guide groups of people.
• You’re a catalyst for initiating or managing change.
• You’re able to negotiate and resolve conflicts.
• You’re able to deepen and nurture relationships at work. 
• You’re able to collaborate and cooperate, give and take, in the course of work.
• You’re able to build healthy team dynamics, share responsibility and give credit to others.