Emotional Quotient (EQ), or Emotional Intelligence for the everyday usage, is formally defined as the ability to understand, use, and manage your emotions in positive ways. It has been a very hot topic in leadership circles for the last decade, or so. Although the definition specifically calls out one's own understanding of one's own emotions, the definition has evolved to include a leader's ability to understand the individual and aggregate emotions of their team, in real-time, to drive organizational success.

Leaders naturally desire all of their team members to be happy while performing tasks and to be happy about the overall vision of the organization. This is not a realistic expectation to have the entire team happy, but it is one that is discussed in senior leadership meetings. "How can we communicate the vision o ...