Narrator: Imagine two executives tasked with the same grim job: shutting down a division and telling 200 employees they’re out of work. The first executive walks into the room, delivers the news brusquely, and incites such fury that he needs a security escort to leave. The next day, the second executive visits the same shell-shocked staff. He speaks with somber respect, acknowledges their contributions, and shares a story of his own past layoff. When he finishes, the angry mob from the day before gives him a round of applause. What made the difference? It wasn't the message, which was identical, but the emotional undercurrent—the hidden driver of performance and perception.

This powerful dynamic is at the heart of HBR's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence, a collection of seminal articles from authors like Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. The book dismantles the old myth that leadership is purely a matter of intellect and technical skill, arguing instead that the ability to perceive, manage, and leverage emotions is the true key to success.

Narrator: For decades, organizations selected leaders based on intelligence and technical expertise. But Daniel Goleman’s groundbreaking research, presented in "What Makes a Leader?", reveals a critical flaw in this approach. While IQ and technical skills are essential entry-level requirements, they don’t distinguish average leaders from great ones. The true differentiator is emotional intelligence (EI). In fact, an analysis of 188 companies showed that for senior leadership positions, nearly 90% of the difference between star performers and average ones was attributable to EI.

Goleman breaks EI down into five core components: self-awareness (understanding one's own emotions and their effects), self-regulation (controlling disruptive impulses), motivation (a passion for achievement beyond money or status), empathy (understanding the emotional makeup of others), and social skill (proficiency in managing relationships and building networks).

The financial impact of this is not trivial. A 1996 study by the renowned psychologist David McClelland found that divisions in a global company led by senior managers with a critical mass of EI capabilities outperformed their yearly earnings goals by 20%. In stark contrast, divisions led by managers who lacked those skills underperformed by nearly the same amount. This demonstrates that EI isn't a "soft" skill; it's a hard driver of bottom-line results.

Narrator: In "Primal Leadership," the authors argue that a leader's primary responsibility is emotional leadership. This is because the human brain's emotional center—the limbic system—has what scientists call an "open-loop" design. It relies on external sources to manage emotions, making people highly susceptible to the feelings of those around them, especially their leaders. A leader's mood, therefore, doesn't just affect them; it sets off a chain reaction, spreading like electricity through the organization.

This was powerfully illustrated in the story of the BBC division shutdown. The first executive's brusque, cold demeanor triggered anger and hostility. The second executive's empathy and respect transformed that same group's mood, creating resonance. An upbeat, optimistic, and high-energy leader fosters an environment where people are more creative, make better decisions, and are more committed. Research by Alice Isen at Cornell found that a positive mood enhances mental efficiency, helping people understand information and think flexibly. Conversely, a toxic leader who is irritable or pessimistic creates a dissonant environment rife with fear and infighting, crippling performance.

Narrator: Managers often assume that employees care most about the what—the outcome of a decision, like the size of a bonus or a promotion. In "Why It’s So Hard to Be Fair," Joel Brockner argues that they care far more about the how—the fairness of the process used to arrive at that outcome. Process fairness involves giving employees a voice, making decisions transparently, and treating people with dignity and respect.

The book presents a stark comparison between two companies that had to conduct layoffs. Company A offered a generous severance package but handled the process poorly, with no explanation and awkward communication. The result was plummeting morale, a second round of layoffs, and costly wrongful-termination lawsuits. Company B offered a less generous package but took great care to explain the strategic reasons, answer questions, and express genuine concern. Company B avoided lawsuits, and its performance improved within nine months.

This shows that even when the outcome is negative, a fair process can mitigate employee anger, reduce theft and turnover, and maintain commitment. It’s a low-cost, high-return strategy that many leaders overlook, often because they fear losing power or want to avoid uncomfortable conversations.

Narrator: Even the most intelligent leaders make bad decisions. In "Why Good Leaders Make Bad Decisions," the authors explain that this often happens because the brain’s decision-making process is not as rational as we think. It relies on two unconscious processes: pattern recognition and emotional tagging. We see a new situation, our brain recognizes a pattern from our past, and an emotional tag attached to that memory tells us whether to proceed or retreat.

This system is usually efficient, but it can be distorted by "red flags" like self-interest, emotional attachments, or misleading memories. A powerful example is the story of An Wang, the founder of Wang Laboratories. When the PC market emerged, Wang chose to create a proprietary operating system rather than adopt the emerging IBM standard. This decision was heavily influenced by a powerful emotional tag: Wang felt he had been cheated by IBM years earlier. This negative attachment made him reject any platform associated with IBM, a blunder that contributed to his company's demise. Leaders must learn to spot these red flags and build in safeguards—like seeking outside opinions or encouraging debate—to counteract their influence.

Narrator: Emotional intelligence isn't just an individual trait; it's a property of groups. In "Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups," Vanessa Urch Druskat and Steven B. Wolff explain that a team's effectiveness depends on its collective ability to manage emotions. A team with a few individually brilliant but emotionally unintelligent members can easily become dysfunctional.

Consider the story of Jill Kasper, a customer service star placed on a new cross-functional team. During meetings, she was silent, dismissive, and shot down every new idea. Her teammates were baffled. What they didn't realize was that Jill felt insulted by the team's very existence, interpreting it as a critique of her own work. The team lacked the group EI to recognize her defensiveness and address her feelings.

Effective teams build emotionally intelligent norms that foster trust, a sense of group identity, and group efficacy. This includes being aware of individual members' emotions, the group's overall mood, and the needs of external stakeholders. These norms allow a team to bring emotions to the surface and handle them constructively, turning potential conflicts into opportunities for stronger collaboration.

Narrator: The conventional wisdom that leaders must suppress negative emotions is not only wrong, it's counterproductive. In "Emotional Agility," Susan David and Christina Congleton argue that trying to ignore difficult thoughts and feelings only amplifies them. The key is not to suppress them, but to develop emotional agility—the ability to approach inner experiences in a mindful, values-driven way.

They outline a four-step process: recognize your patterns, label your thoughts and emotions, accept them, and act on your values. This is illustrated by the story of Cynthia, a senior lawyer and mother of two who was "hooked" by guilt. She felt guilty for not working enough and guilty for not being present enough with her family. This led her to avoid new work opportunities and compulsively check her phone during family time.

By practicing emotional agility, Cynthia recognized her guilt but chose not to be ruled by it. She identified her core values: being a present mother and a successful professional. She then acted on those values, making a conscious choice to put her phone away during dinner but also to take on an important business trip. By unhooking from her guilt and acting on her values, she found peace and became more effective in both roles.

Narrator: The single most important takeaway from HBR's 10 Must Reads on Emotional Intelligence is that EI is not a "nice-to-have" soft skill, but a fundamental, learnable, and measurable driver of professional success and organizational performance. It is the hidden architecture behind effective leadership, resilient teams, and sound decision-making.

The challenge this collection leaves us with is to shift our perspective on emotion in the workplace. It’s not about becoming emotionless robots or, conversely, letting every feeling dictate our actions. The real work is in developing the agility to understand our inner world without being controlled by it. The ultimate question for any leader is not if emotions will show up at work, but how they will choose to lead with them when they do.