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J A N

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F E B

LEADING with

EMOTIONAL

INTELLIGENCE

An immense amount of material has been produced

as it relates to the topic of emotional intelligence, or

“EI”. A quick Google search of the term alone renders

over 37 million results. Additional research shows

that the subject matter is discussed across a range

of both public and private professions, including

some we might not think of such as music studies.

Likewise, there are countless TEDx talks on various

applications of the subject as it relates to various

professional disciplines.

ost people in supervisory or management positions have received at

least some training or exposure to this topic. So then, what exactly

is “EI” and why is it so important to the success or failure of your agency?

Simply put, substantial research and much anecdotal evidence suggests that

EI is more important than IQ. In other words, the level of intelligence of you

or those who work with you is less important than your ability to understand

and respond appropriately to others as it relates to success in the workplace.

We’ve all seen the tragic results of a police officer who says or does something

recorded by body camera or cell phone that ends his or her career and results

in major damage to the public perception of their department. Likewise, we

have witnessed incidents of off-duty misconduct or inappropriate behavior

involving social media that create an embarrassing dilemma for the officer

and his/her agency. If you’ve been a supervisor for more than a few weeks,

no doubt you can probably identify at least one subordinate who seems to

have all the requisite skills, intelligence, and ability to do his or her job well,

but the way in which they interact with co-workers and/or the public is hor-

rendous. In many cases, this can be directly attributed to a lack of emotional

intelligence. To chalk up the behavior to sheer stupidity, a brief lapse in judg-

ment, or poor temperament doesn’t always fully explain behavior. This is not

to minimize the importance of academic ability, but merely to compare the

relative impact of the two. Training and education can improve officers in

so-called “hard skills” such as use of force, driving, or report writing, but can

we train them for a “soft skill” like EI?

Craig Wiggins

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