Emotional Intelligence is the ability to manage one's own emotions as well to recognize, understand, and influence the emotions of others.  In the context of Soft Skills, it means being courteous and compassionate when interacting with others.  It includes consideration of the environment of those your interact with -- it is servant leadership at it's best.

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Daniel Goleman who highly popularized the concept in the mid-nineties said it this way, "It's not that IQ and technical skills are irrelevant.  They do matter, but mainly as 'threshold capabilities,' that is, they are the entry-level requirements for executive positions."

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He furthermore stated, 'Without it [emotional intelligence], a person can have the best training in the world, an incisive analytical mind, and an endless supply of smart ideas, but he still won't make a great leader.'