Is the emotionally intelligent manager necessarily a “good” person? From the start, we have recognized that these emotional skills can be used for many purposes. It’s similar to the dilemma of charisma. Charismatic leaders can use their power for the good of the group or for their own glory. A manager who is expert in managing emotions can use this ability to manipulate employees. Yet, if managers are truly emotionally intelligent, they also have a good deal of emotional empathy, that is, they feel what their employees feel. The emotionally intelligent manager’s moral perspective is, we hope, well developed. It is hard to imagine that this manager will intentionally or unnecessarily inflict pain on others. It is our hope that the emotionally intelligent manager will not just do things right but will “do the right thing.”
We’ve never come right out and said it, so let’s say it now: the skills of emotional intelligence do not guarantee health, wealth, or happiness. In fact, the emotionally intelligent manager may often feel sad and anxious. Like Marcy, we also believe that the rewards awaiting the emotionally intelligent manager may not be measurable in money, power, or prestige but in the desire and the ability to do well for oneself and for others.
“Managing you” is a difficult and often overlooked task. We hope that these applications of the Emotional Blueprint inspire you to think about ways of applying the skills of emotional intelligence to your own work life. Managing others, that is, leading effective teams and organizations, requires that you successfully leverage the wisdom of your feelings. In the Managing Others: Applying Emotional Intelligence Skills with Others , we will discuss the application of emotional intelligence skills to managing others.