Based on a PBS Special, I have given this book as gift to several of my supervisors as I left to go on to greater things with the hopes that it would inspire them to make the workplace a great place to be.

For those who were as disappointed of "How to think like Leonardo Da Vinci" as I was: This may be the one!

This book contains a collection of essays about the makings of a great leader. Some essays, particularly the one about emotional intelligence, I found invaluable. Others, were interesting, but not new news.

This is one in a series of volumes of articles which previously appeared in the Harvard Business Review. They offer direct and relatively inexpensive access to cutting-edge thinking on a major business subject. This volume provides eight essays, each preceded by an "Executive Summary." The first selection "What Makes a Leader?") was written by Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, Working with Emotional Intelligence, and the most recently published Primal Leadership. After years of wide and deep experience with all manner of executives, Goleman has found that "the most effective leaders are alike in one crucial way: they all have a high degree of what has come to be known as emotional intelligence [which Goleman asserts] is the sine qua non of leadership." He then identifies and briefly discusses what he calls "The Five Components of Emotional Intelligence at Work": Self-Awareness. Self-Regulation, motivation, empathy, and Social Skill." These are the titles and authors of the other seven essays:

"Narcissistic Leaders: The Incredible Pros, the Inevitable Cons" (Michael Maccoby)

"Leadership That Gets Results" (Goleman)

NOTE: Those especially interested in this subject are urged to check out Bossidy and Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done (June 2002).

"Getting the Attention You Need" (Thomas H. Davenport and John C. Beck)

NOTE: Davenport and Beck later developed their ideas in much greater depth in The Attention Economy.

"The Successor's Dilemma" Dan Ciampa and Michael Watkins)

"The Rise and Fall of the J. Peterman Company" (John Peterman)

NOTE: To "Seinfeld" fans, yes, he is that Peterman.

"Why Should Anyone Be Led by You?" (Robert Goffee and Gareth Jones)

"Leading Through Rough Times: An Interview with Novell's Eric Schmidt" (Bronwyn Fryer)

No brief commentary such as this can do full justice to the rigor and substance of the articles provided. It remains for each reader to examine the list to identify those subjects which are of greatest interest to her or him. My own opinion is that all of the articles are first-rate. A majority were later developed into books. For me, one of this volume's greatest benefits is derived from sharing a variety of perspectives provided by several different authorities on the same general subject. In terms of value, if all eight articles were purchased as an individual reprint, the total cost would be $56.00.

Have you ever been burnt in a business deal by someone you thought you knew well? How many times have you taken action only later to find out you ignored key facts that were right in front of you?

An early book by the author of the best-seller Emotional Intelligence, this work focuses on the many ways in which our minds play tricks on us. Goleman uses a series of short vignettes, from business, political and family scenarios, to illustrate his arguments. For example, he shows us how Nixon aide John Dean seemed to drive from his awareness the fact that he was not as important to the President as he asserted in his Watergate testimony.

The chapter, "The Intelligent Filter", gives us a clear concept on how we so often screen out ideas and information that do not fit our assumptions. Reading this section can help us understand why innovative ideas get rejected without consideration, as we filter out new pieces of information even before they reach our awareness.

From the perspective of Executive Community, applying what Goleman sees can help us untie the knots that develop in our business communications and block understanding and collaboration. Even more importantly, careful study of these concepts can help you be a better critical business thinker and a more effective leader.

For those who want to delve deeper than the latest management fad book, Vital Lies, Simple Truths will give you several hours of intellectual challenge. This is a good tool for "sharpening the saw", as Stephen Covey might say.

Goleman states his thesis using three premises in the early pages of his book: (1) The mind can protect itself against anxiety by dimming awareness. (2) This mechanism creates a blind spot: a zone of blocked attention and self-deception. (3) Such blind spots occur at each major level of behavior from the psychological to the social. (p. 22)

With these principles as his map, Goleman writes an excellent study of human psychological behavior that, whether the reader approaches it as a journal of self-discovery (like me) or as a explanation for social "groupthink" (like me, again), it proved to be very helpful. I enjoyed how Goleman supported his ideas with recent research and how he used quotes and references to support his ideas. Mapping out why we cover our anxieties with delusional behaviors, well, I think it is fascinating and the applications are immense.

Daniel Goleman has written two previous books on Emotional Intelligence and why it is more important than IQ over a person's lifetime. This book takes those concepts of Emotional Intelligence (EI) and applies them to successful leadership roles. In doing so it moves leadership from an art form to science.

While it is not difficult to follow this book even if you are not familiar with his prior works, familiarity with the concepts would make the reading flow much smoother. For this text he is joined by EI experts and co-authors Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee as they unravel the use of EI in the workplace.

The bottom line of Primal Leadership is that one of the most important tasks of a leader is to create good feelings in the people they lead. They do this by maintaining those same positive feelings in themselves. In addition they have to create change, sustain change, and build an EI competent organization.

The book introduces the concept of "resonant leadership". This is the tendency of employees to perceive the business environment in the same manner that their leaders do. The moods, opinions, and actions of the leaders resonate to their employees and create the same feelings in them.

The top leaders develop four leadership styles and have the ability to easily change between them as needed. The book not only defines primal leadership but details how to develop and use these leadership qualities to make your business excel when others flounder. A great read with a thought-provoking analysis, this book is required reading for those seeking to excel as leaders in their organization.

Perhaps you have already read one or both of Daniel Goleman's previous books, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ for Character, Health, and Lifelong Achievement (1995) and Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998). If not, I presume to suggest that you do so before reading this volume in which Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee develop in much greater depth and with much wider application many of the same core concepts introduced in those earlier works. In fact, as the authors explain in the Preface, this book goes far beyond two articles which appeared even earlier in the Harvard Business Review ("What Makes a Leader" and "Leadership That Gets Results") "to advance a new concept: primal leadership. The fundamental task, we argue, is to prime good feelings in those they lead. That occurs when a leader creates [italics] resonance -- a reservoir of positivity that frees the best in people. At its root, then, the primal job of leadership is emotional."

Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee carefully organize their material within Three Parts: The Power of Emotional Intelligence, Making Leaders, and Building Emotional Intelligent Organizations. The insights, strategies, and tactics provided are all based on the authors' several decades of real-world experience with all manner of organizations as well as on insights gained through direct and extensive contact with various leaders. In the final chapter, the authors observe: "In sum, the best leadership programs [ones which focus on the process of talent development] are designed for culture, competencies, and even spirit. They adhere to the principles of self-directed change and use a multifaceted approach to the learning and development process itself that focuses on the individual, team, and organization." I am reminded of what the Mahatma Gandhi once asserted: "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." What should be the defining values throughout the inevitably difficult change process?

Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee are absolutely certain that the most effective leaders "are more values-driven, more flexible and informal, and more open and frank than leaders of old. They are more connected to people and to networks. More especially, they exude resonance: They have genuine passion for their mission, and that passion is contagious. Their enthusiasm and excitement spread spontaneously, invigorating those they lead. And resonance is the key to primal leadership." Does all this describe the kind of person you wish to follow? If so, then become the same kind of leader for others to follow.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out James O'Toole's The Executive Compass, David Maister's Practice What You Preach, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan's Execution: The Discipline of Getting Results.

First off, I really hate the title "Primal Leadership." I picture a gorilla beating the ground with a branch to show he's dominant, which isn't quite what this book is about. The authors use 'primal' to mean primary, as in first and most basic. The basic underpinning of great leadership is emotional intelligence.

"Primal Leadership" is written to help leaders become better leaders by improving their emotional intelligence. The book gives insight into the collective feeling of an organization, or its emotional climate, and how this is influenced by the people at the top of the organization and the leadership methods adopted by the organization.

The authors identify four key aspects of personal competency in emotional intelligence:

* Self-Awareness
* Self-Management
* Social Awareness
* Relationship Management

The stronger a person is in these, the better leader he or she will become. Unless we are aware of our own emotions, we won't know how to control them. For example, if you make a unintentional, snide remark to an employee, because you're frustrated with the employee, the employee will probably not benefit, nor will the work environment. But, to prevent such a remark means you first must accept that you're feeling frustrated and, secondly, control that emotion.

Being socially aware means that you understand the power structure of the organization and it means you have empathy. As an extreme case of lack of empathy, suppose an employee's wife just dumped him and you enter his office and say, "Hey, Jack. Won't ask about the wife. Ha, ha. Just kidding. But, I need that report today, so focus. Don't worry about your personal, little life."

Obviously, that wouldn't go over too well! A great film of unmotivating leadership is "Office Space." The CEO is too funny. He walks around talking in monotone and he doesn't hear what the employees are saying. Again, an extreme case.

A leader must understand the emotional state of his/her employees and take it into consideration. That doesn't, of course, mean you must agree or tolerate unacceptable behavior.

After discussing these core competencies, the authors discuss different leadership styles, including:

* Visionary
* Coaching
* Pacesetting
* Democratic
* Commanding

The authors argue that visionary, coaching, and democratic leadership styles are beneficial to an organization. But, many leaders rely upon the more tenuous pacesetting and commanding methods of leadership, which can backfire or be overdone. For example, a pacesetting, commanding leader often makes people feel irrelevant and stressed out. That makes them less effective and motivated.

And, stress isn't good personally. Quoting the authors: "When stress is high and sustained, the brain reacts with sustained cortisol secretion, which actually hampers learning by killing off brain cells in the hippocampus that are essential for new learning." (Well that [stinks]!)

However, there is hope for stressed-out leaders or followers. Quoting the authors again: "Human brains can create new neural tissue as well as new neural connections and pathways throughout adulthood."

The authors argue that most leadership training fails because it teaches the neocortex brain or the learning brain. But, leadership skills require more limbic learning. The limbic part of the brain is the more emotional part that learns via repetition and personal experience. The authors compare learning leadership to learning to play the slide guitar. You must practice good habits.

To motivate oneself to improve as a leader, the authors suggest forming an image of your ideal self, acquiring a realistic image of your present self, and then practicing behaviors (until they become automatic) that have you act more like your ideal self.

The authors argue that this is the best way to improve, because it's a positive way of seeing yourself in the future and seeing a positive goal. Plus, as you improve your EI skills, not only will your leadership skills be enhanced, but so too will your personal relationships. Don't look at your weaknesses as 'gaps' that need to be improved.

The authors write: "Emphasis on gaps often arouses the right prefrontal cortex--that is, feelings of anxiety and defensiveness. Once defensiveness sets in, it typically demotivates rather than motivates, thereby interrupting, even stopping, self-directed learning and the likelihood of change."

Focusing upon how good you can become versus fixing gaps seems akin to looking at the glass half full versus half empty, but apparently that makes all the difference.

Peter Hupalo, Author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur."

In today's go-go, "give it to me in two words or less" world, the idea of buying a big, heavy business reference book with more than 2,000 pages in it seems absurd. Ludicrous. Nuts!

But getting this book is actually very smart. Intelligent. Brilliant!

Why? Well it's definitely not plane reading. And it's not likely bed-time reading. But as a useful reference tool and practical guide to just about everything (from calculating net rate of return to "finding your calling and living your passion"), BUSINESS is a superb tool to keep close at hand.

By contrast, I also own the equally hefty "AMA [American Management Association] Management Handbook," which is, in a word, worthless as a practical tool. In the AMA tome, many topics are either missing, written with an academic, "about the subject," treatment, or so light on practical application as to measure zero (or less if you count the time wasted in your search) on the utility scale.

So is "BUSINESS: The Ultimate Resource," in fact, the ultimate resource? Well, that's publisher hyperbole. The index is not nearly complete. But it will point you to a few places where your subject is treated, and those articles are often cross-referenced with others...

So if you follow the chain, you'll find a heck of a lot of useful information. And the huge tome comes with some other interesting stuff such as summaries of "the most influential business books of all time," and profiles of "management giants," a business dictionary, and yet more reference material.

But the real draw for me: There's lots of actionable advice about very practical things--from setting organizational strategy to more fully engaging passive, compliant staff members.

Moreover, most articles on any given topic fill only about two pages at a crack. So you can get in, get what you need, and get on with your real work.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, this reviewer wrote a brief Best Practices article on leadership development for the book. It's two-pages among the reference's more than two-thousand. (And candidly, when I first heard about the project, I thought an overwhelming, omnibus treatment of all matters business was flat-out goofy. That was until I actually saw the book. And started reading critically. It proved its usefulness very quickly.)

You'll recognize many prominent experts among the contributors. Even better, you'll find that they've been held to a tight, focused, practical style and format---with no philosophical diatribes and no time-wasting sidetracks.

That editorial discipline won't mean much as the volume rests heavily on your credenza. But it will really serve you when some new, unexpected and unfamiliar responsibility lands in your in-box. When your mind sounds the alarm --- "What the heck am I supposed to do about this?!" --- just take a deep breath, heave open the covers, and dig in!

Having this big black book nearby will be akin to career insurance.

You'd be hard-pressed to find either more ample or more useful advice for so little an investment.

The size of this book is indeed intimidating. Fortunately, the content indeed matches well with its heaviness. This is the most complete business reference book I'd ever seen. The book is well organized. Topics are well arranged. Articles were written by wellknown experts in the world of business. This is a book that will be valuable for any organization. It's a must-have reference for your organization's library.

"Business: The Ultimate Resource" takes the reader through a very thorough exposition of business in all of its forms. Although it is a huge book with a table of contents larger than many business book indexes, it is well organized and easy to use. The primary divisions of the book include sections on Best Practice (various essays from business leaders), Management and Action Checklists (detailed lists of each step to implement or calculate various items), Management Library (summaries of the most influential business books), Business Thinkers and Management Giants (profiles of business leaders), Business Dictionary, World Business Almanac, and Business Information Sources (including addresses, phone numbers, web sites, etc. for additional help and/or information).

Some of the articles that are on the cutting edge of current business thought include Managing 21st Century Financials, Integrating Real and Virtual Strategies, Making B2B Your New Operational Standard, Emotional Intelligence and Leadership, and Managing Dynamic Change.

Checklists include lists in various categories including People Management, Personal Effectiveness (including excellent checklists on effective communication), HR/Training, Marketing, Operations, Small Business, Business Planning, E-Commerce, Personal Development, Accounting and Finance (includes how to calculate just about any accounting ratio or value that you would need).

The Management Library book summaries are well done in a format that gives the background on the book along with the key points made in the book. It includes such business classics as Sun Tzu's "The Art of War" and Adam Smith's "The Wealth of Nations" to more current thought such as "Blur" by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer. Although this is a book published in 2002, the most recent summary is on a book published in 1998. So it does not contain summaries of the more recent books, but the summaries of books prior to 1999 are excellent.

In short, instead of providing information on a limited aspect of business (such as management or accounting or personnel) it provides a comprehensive understanding of business as a whole. An excellent reference for any business professional, the price makes it a steal and a recommended buy.

After being disappointed by Cary Cherniss' book on "promoting" emotional intelligence, I was rather reluctant to spend money on this one, so I ordered a used copy through Amazon (very satisfactory: the copy I got was as good as new). I must say that I find my money well spent. In fact, the only reason why this book doesn't get 5 stars is that it's too scientific for practical application.

For instance, chapter 5 is correct to point out that most tests don't measure emotional intelligence, BUT emotional competence, and then goes on to warn us that a test as Bar-on's EQi test certainly has disadvantages, given it is a self-administered test (In my experience, self-administration of EQ-like tests is particularly dangerous for recruiting and other forms of evaluation). Of course, then the question becomes: BUT I want to test EQ in the context of work, how can I do this in a reliable fashion? You'll find the answer halfway chapter 6, which indicates that Behavior Event Interviews will do the trick (I agree with this, since that's what I experienced as well). Unfortunately, you won't find what kind of questions to ask during such an interview, let alone examples of how to do it.

Also, I was glad that the author of chapter 8 pointed out the same pitfalls of hiring senior executives I have been warning companies for. The suggestions that were outline come close to what we have been doing for several customers, but again the real, practical how to's are missing.

The chapters on training emotional intelligence in part three of the book were more useful than the book "Promoting E.I.", so there is no need at all to buy that other book anymore. Once again, these 4 chapters contain many of the messages one should have when working to develop EQ.

My critique: Except the scientific parts, I found that many of the more practical things this book covers, are "old messages" that can be found in works of Boyatzis, McClelland, Prochaska, Spencer and Spencer, ...

Conclusion? Buy this book if you need a solid scientific basis for your knowledge of emotional intelligence. As far as the how-to's are concerned, this book will serve very well as an outline and a checklist by which one can evaluate the quality of work delivered by a consultant - however, it's not enough to really go out there and "just do it". On the other hand, if you are a consultant recruiting or training for emotional intelligence, this is a MUST READ. Don't get caught not knowing what's in here!...

Richard Boyatzis is the Chair of the Department of Organizational Behavior at the Weatherhead School of Management at Case Western University; Annie McKee is on the Faculty of the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and is cochair of the Teleos Leadership Institute in Philadelphia; Daniel Goleman is the cochair of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, based at Rutgers University's Graduate School of Professional and Applied Psychology. They are the authors of 'Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence' (2002). This article was published in the April 2002 issue of Harvard Business Review.

The tragedy of September 11, 2001, provided many of us with the impulse to take stock: "Am I really living the way I want to live?" This impulse to take stock comes up periodically for most of us in far less dramatic circumstances. In normal circumstances, most of us have a passion that drives us. But when that passion fades, we begin to question the meaning of our work. So what are the signals that it's time to take stock? The authors provide us with some traditional feelings: "I feel trapped."; "I'm bored."; "I'm not the person I want to be."; "I won't compromise my ethics."; "I can't ignore the call."; "Life is too short!" It does not necessarily have to be a world tragedy to set these feelings off. The most traditional one is probably the mid-life crisis. Once these signals/feelings are identified, it is vital to listen and respond to them. The authors also provide us with some tools for reflection. There is no one-size-fits-all solution, but there are various approaches available. Probably the simplest one is the call for a time-out. This can take the shape of a sabbatical, or holiday, or taking up a (new) hobby. The second strategy is to find a program. This is a more structured strategy, guiding people as they explore their dreams and open new doors. Others create a "reflective structure", or time and space for self-examination, which can take place a few hours a week, a day or two a month, or a longer period every year. You could also decide to work with a coach to provide you with an outside perspective. This can come from family, friends, and/or colleagues. For most of us, it's not possible to change job or move somewhere new, even if the current situation is undesirable. In those circumstances, you could make some small adjustments so that your work more directly reflects your beliefs and values. This, however, requires courage to take some risks. The authors use various real-life examples from the business world to explain the points.

Unlike Daniel Goleman's previous articles on leadership, this one is more a self-help article. It discusses a problem which we see more and more often in modern society - the classical 'burn-out' - and I mean not just within the business world. The aim of this article is to make us understand when and how we can take stock of our lives and, most helpful, how we can renew our passion. The subject reminds me of Stephen R. Covey's compass ('The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People'), in which we map our goals for our life. I also recommend Peter F. Drucker's 1999-article 'Managing Oneself', in which he advises us to prepare for a life after work. Although the article is published in the Harvard Business Review, it is useful for not just business people. The authors use simple US-English.

Goleman's book successfully educates the reader on the importance of emotional intelligence and provides some insight into how our society has gone wrong in raising our children.

Everyone knows someone who is book smart but doesn't seem to possess common sense. Despite their intelligence they lack the skills needed to have successful relationships and a happy life. Goleman defines these skills in a succinct way so we can finally define what it means to be intelligent. Goleman proposes that we can instill this emotional intelligence in our children and provides the information needed to do so.

The violence that has erupted in our schools is top of mind in both educators and parents. This book is highly insightful for those searching for the answers. It explains why youth are more depressed, violent and aggressive than ever. Goleman spends a chapter explaining how emotional literacy can be integrated into our schools. He proposes that these programs will get to the root of our nation's problem and provide the long-term results that we so desperately need. I highly recommend this book to parents and educators and anyone else who thinks we as a society can do a better job raising our children.

Yes, there are heaps of boring sections in the book...it ain't a fun read. But the heart of the message is incredibly insighful: That empathy is a key life attitude. If you work your way through the book you'll understand why I give it 5 stars...even though I forced myself to finish it.

I'd recommend this book to ANYONE interested in understanding the human condition. Then I'd follow it up with any book by Thomas Gordon (Parent Effectiveness Training, Leader Effectiveness Training, Teacher Effectiveness Training), as these books show you exactly how to put to daily use the skills that nurture and develop emotional intelligence.

I read Thomas Gordon's books first and then found Emotional Intelligence. But either way you're promised an eye-opening experience.

Daniel Goleman's writing is concise, highly readable, and interesting. The first couple of chapters deal with the science behind emotions and the brain, then the rest of them analyze the role of emotions in many different aspects of life (at work, in a developing child, in health, and in disorders and diseases) This book puts some scientific logic and reasoning, and links to research, behind the "common sense" idea that it takes more than smarts to make it in this world...success is not supressing emotions, but being able to handle them when they surface. Everyone can stand to benefit from a better understanding of thier emotions. This is not a "self-help" book, in my opinion, but a thorough examination of the current state of physiological origins and effects of emotions--dealt with in a simple and direct manner. Daniel highlights the effects of anger, depression and anxiety in adults and children. Daniel pulls out the relevant points and parts of today's research and binds them cohesively into a fascinating exploration of how the leading indicator of success is often the amount of rational control one has over thier emotions. The nice thing about the book is it deftly avoids getting bogged down in the research detail and statistics. All in all, learning the importance of emotions in life is a journey we all make sooner or later, but never will you have the opportunity to have it so clearly presented and explained.

The title of this book is definately misleading, there is no practical advice on "How " to work with emotional intelligence besides endless anecdotes and examples.

Even with this entire book of loosely collected anecdotes, the auther still failed to convince me that his conclusion is based on serious, scientic research with logical analysis.

I think the auther is very biased on EQ vs IQ, the importance of EQ is overly stated. We all know IQ provides a basic framework/blueprint of a person, while EQ can really make a person excel compared with other people in similar IQ level. It should also put these two concepts in context, how important EQ/IQ in a person's success is really a variable, depending on what field, what job and what role a person is playing. In high-tech field, for example, for a technical position, I would rather hire a person with extraordinary IQ with average EQ, cause I know s/he could possibly perform as efficient as a group of 5 to10 people with average IQ. But for a tech manager position, a person with high EQ, reasonable IQ and profound knowledge in respective field would be a good fit. The way the author presents EQ is very simplistic and misleading!

How we need to over ride our emotions sometimes! Daniel Goleman's book is indeed an insight to cultivate one's mind emotionally. Understanding and raising emotional intelligence is essential to your success and leadership potentials. Daniel selects examples and anecdotes from the Fortune 500 companies which shows the competency to deal with various factors at workplace. The training tools, conflict management, building bonds and motivation, encouragement and inspirations are really necessary not with the IQs only but with the 'Emotional Intelligence skills' which enhance leadership to excel. The author shows the way how to manage feelings, interact, communicate and tackle with the issues in organization. Initiative, self control, optimism are some key factors of personal competency which make the emotional control board of the mind geared up to treat right, care and understand. A must read for every business. Its never an arrogance, ego or pride but be in tune with 'Emotional Intelligence'- Thats the trick of the trades for every savvy Leader.

Since the publication of Daniel Goleman's first book, Emotional Intelligence he has generated a remarkable industry around the topic. In this book from 2000, Goleman applies the ideas of his previous book to the workplace. Why should executives bother with this soft stuff? According to research cited by Goleman (see the summary in Appendix 2) almost all of the abilities that distinguished stars from average performers were emotional competencies. While pattern recognition and "big picture" thinking were correlated with outstanding performance, cognitive abilities in general - above a certain threshold - did not have significant correlation. "Emotional intelligence" refers to a set of competencies that characterizes how people manage feelings, interact, and communicate. Building on previous work by others, Goleman characterizes emotional intelligence as being founded on five personal and social competencies: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, and Social Skills. Each of these five is further analyzed into 12 personal and 13 social competencies such as Accurate Self-Assessment, Self-Control, Initiative, Developing Others, Influence, Conflict Management, and Building Bonds.
Unlike IQ, we can continue to improve emotional intelligence. Working With Emotional Intelligence is not a how-to book in the usual sense. It will help any executive understand the importance of EI in all its diverse aspects as well as showing examples of strong and weak EI in individual and organizational contexts. Improving is not easy work. Goleman explains the neurological basis of much of EI, including the role of the amygdala (which can make us impulsive and which affects our resilience under stress) and its interaction with the prefrontal lobes (which together also affect the ability to adapt to change), and the role of the catecholamines adrenaline and noradrenaline (which allow us to distinguish good stress from bad stress). Goleman looks at "empathic design" (p.139ff) and the contagious effects of emotions on groups, among other important applications in the workplace. He also provides a three-page list of "Guidelines for Emotional Competence Training". Although parts of Working With Emotional Intelligence will strike you as the obvious dressed up with stories, you can extract some important information by scanning through this book. In an age of record levels of job stress (according to an October 2002 study), any words of wisdom on this subject deserve a hearing.