The term ‘emotional intelligence’ was first used by best-selling author Daniel Goleman. The idea behind the phrase was so compelling that his book of the same name remained on the New York Times best seller list for over a year.

But why did his idea create such a buzz, and what made the sentiment so compelling? Employers and recruiters recognised that testing a candidate’s emotional intelligence (EI) level could help them decide on their suitability for a role, and EI has since become a key indicator during many recruitment procedures.

So what constitutes emotional intelligence?

Daniel Goleman named five specific character traits that define our levels of emotional intelligence:

• Motivation: self-motivation to be more precise, rather than being motivated by money or other outside influences
• Social skill: building rapport with people and engendering trust so that working relationships become stronger
• Self awareness: understanding how our actions affect other people and the environment we are in, as well as the ability to put constructive criticism to good use
• Empathy: an understanding and genuine compassion for others that also leads to trusting relationships
• Self management: being able to identify how we are feeling, and control the way in which we communicate those feelings and emotions to others at work

He discovered that these traits, which are commonly seen in natural leaders, can also be learned.…