2. A case for Emotional Intelligence? Two years ago, John Gardner, Systems Engineering Manager at Medrad, a medical devices company, was recognized as someone with a high degree of technical skills and an ability to “get things done.” But at what cost? According to John, “Although senior management liked that I got things done, they were frustrated with my methods of dealing with people. Essentially, management was saying, “John, we love you, but we want to shoot you!” John focused only on the outcomes of the work, believing that task completion was much more important than people’s feelings. “On the one hand, I was receiving performance reviews at the top of the performer range. Then I got a letter saying that if I didn’t change my style, I might be fired.” John couldn’t believe that he was being knocked for his interpersonal style when he was delivering such amazing results! Because the company valued John’s skills, they offered him the opportunity to participate in an Emotional Intelligence training and coaching program from the Institute for Health and Human Potential (IHHP). “At first,” John said, “I thought I would sit through the program to appease management and get my attendance checked off. Quite frankly, I saw emotional intelligence as a waste of time.” After going through the program and follow-up coaching, John now sees Emotional Intelligence as a critical competence he was missing. “I now realize that I was operating with only half of what I needed to be successful — similar to rowing a boat with only one oar.” This became truer as he rose in the ranks at the company. As an engineer he felt he could get away without EQ skills … but not once he became a leader. The Emotional Intelligence training and coaching that John participated in made him more aware of his impact on others and identified some “gaps” he needed to address. “The training really opened my eyes to things like the importance of learning to react more skillfully when I’m…