Emotional Intelligence; A Little Background

Emotional Intelligence in Sports? I’ve spent this past month writing about the work I am doing in Emotional Intelligence or EI. In much of the research EI is discussed as EQ for clarification. It should be noted that much of the work I have been helping athletes with for the bulk of my career has been in the area of assisting them with gaining control or the utilization of emotion to their performance benefit in sports. It is just now, in my new business affiliation with John Haime and New Edge Performance, that I am using an assessment tool to more quickly determine athlete strengths and weaknesses.  You can find the ESi by clicking on the ESi link now.

I had been planing to provide more background information on EI and just today I was contacted by Online University about an article they have done on:

The 10 Best Books on Emotional Intelligence

With their permission I am passing on this information for discussion written by their staff writers.

While a high IQ can go a long way in helping you to be successful in the world, studies are increasingly demonstrating that your EQ, or emotional intelligence, is of equal (or perhaps even more) importance. Whether it’s sustaining personal relationships, working on a group project in college, talking with your boss, or managing your own employees, emotional intelligence plays a key role in how successful these interactions are or are not, often in ways we’re not even readily aware of. If you’d like to give your EQ a boost, there are plenty of great books out there on the subject that can help teach you the fundamentals of emotional intelligence and help you through activities that will make you and those around you more emotionally healthy in your interactions. We’ve listed 10 of these great books here to help you get started on your emotional education.

1. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman: Curious as to why emotional intelligence might matter more than overall intelligence? Touching on psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Daniel Goleman, an expert on brain and behavioral sciences, explains the crucial skills for success offered by emotional intelligence that can determine your success in relationships and work and may impact your overall health. Even better, Goleman explains that EQ isn’t fixed, and shares ideas on how you can improve your emotional intelligence. 
2. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves, and Patrick M. Lencioni: Once you’ve learned a bit about emotional intelligence and why it’s important, you may want to take a look at this book that’s focused more on ways to use EQ to improve your life. As you read through the book, you’ll find a step-by-step program for increasing your emotional intelligence that focuses on four core skills: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, along with activities that will help you boost each of these areas.
3. Go Suck a Lemon: Strategies for Improving Your Emotional Intelligence by Michael Cornwall: Dr. Cornwall’s book is another great guide on improving emotional intelligence. He focuses on aspects of emotional intelligence like controlling emotions, being open-minded, breaking out of emotional co-dependence, and thinking before acting. The book aims to teach readers a process they can use that will help them approach any task with more careful and well thought-out emotional problem solving.
4. Building Emotional Intelligence: Techniques to Cultivate Inner Strength in Children by Linda Lantieri and Daniel Goleman:While this book is focused on building emotional intelligence in children, much of the information can be a big help to adults who want an EQ boost as well. From handling stress to dealing with disappointment, Lantieri and Goleman’s advice will serve anyone who wants to be in better control of their emotions and mental well-being.
5. The New Psycho-Cybernetics by Maxwell Maltz: Since it was published in 1960, this self-help book has sold more than 30 million copies, helping everyone from athletes to CEOs better meet their potential. So what can it teach you about emotional intelligence? Maltz’s theory of psycho-cybernetics is all about controlling your thoughts and emotions and turning those that are negative into positives, eventually reprogramming your mind. This can have a big impact not only on achieving career goals, but also in day-to-day interactions with people, happiness, and overall health, making it a valuable read for anyone looking to improve EQ.
6. The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success by Steven Stein and Howard Book: Do you know what it really takes to get ahead in your career and in your life? While being smart and having great ideas is half the battle, emotional intelligence also plays a powerful role. In this book, you’ll learn why emotional intelligence is such a critical skill to your success and find new ways to help build stronger relationships, get ahead at work, feel more confident, and even be a better leader.
7. The EQ Difference: A Powerful Plan for Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work by Adele B. Lynn: One place emotional intelligence can have a big impact is at work, and in this book, readers will learn how to leverage the lessons they learn about EQ to find more success in their careers. Through great examples and useful exercises, Lynn showcases the profound effect emotions can have on all aspects of work life, from performance to coworker relationships, and discusses ways that anyone can start improving their interpersonal relationships with simple changes in thought and action.
8. The Language of Emotional Intelligence: The Five Essential Tools for Building Powerful and Effective Relationships by Jeanne Segal: This book is an excellent place for finding information on using emotional intelligence to build better relationships with just about everyone in your life, from employees to your family. In a step-by-step program, Segal will show readers how to use five basic tools of emotional intelligence to enhance relationships through better communication, reading non-verbal cues, and gaining skills at diffusing arguments and conflicts before they get out of hand.
9. The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves: Emotional intelligence researchers Bradberry and Greaves use their years of experience in the field to offer some great tools for making life at work and at home go a bit more smoothly. Similar in scope to their Emotional Intelligence 2.0, this book boils down the information into easy-to-follow nuggets and applies lessons that you can start implementing right away. Readers can assess their own EQ, learn more about what EQ means, and get advice on developing their EQ at work, home, and for personal well-being.
10. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey:Stephen Covey’s classic book isn’t focused on emotional intelligence the way others on this list are, but it is an invaluable resource nonetheless. As it turns out, many of the seven habits Covey describes all require an awareness and control of emotional intelligence. Self mastery, being proactive, big-picture thinking, managing interactions, and effective communication are all discussed at length in this leadership classic that make it an incredible read for anyone looking for ways to learn about emotional intelligence and apply it to everyday life.

This is some text prior to the author information. You can change this text from the admin section of WP-Gravatar  Mike Margolies: Sport Psychology Consultants ; TheMental-Game.com Mike Margolies is a Sport Psychology Consultant, Certified Mental Trainer® (CMT), Author, and Professional Speaker. When you want to be the best that you can be and the one thing you might be missing is the right mental game - what can you do? Well, athletes from all over the country have been seeking out Mike Margolies for over three decades to help them reach their potential. His clients include professional, elite, colligate and youth athletes in every sport. They have sought his counsel and unique teaching style to learn about the game within the game, or what mental training can do to help them become the athlete they want to be. He has trained professional and elite athletes and helped guide many to world championships and even the Super Bowl. Mike has trained more than 2000+ athletes. He has taught at four Universities and completed research at the United States Olympic Training Center. His new book is called The Athlete within You- A Mental Approach to Sports and Business. He currently works with individual athletes, teams and businesses around the world, both in person and via SKYPE. Mike is based out of the Pacific Northwest. Let him encourage you to play the game within the game. The Athlete within You is waiting to come out play. Learn the rules to the mental game to help realize your potential. Read more from this author