With the advent of new measurement devices for brain patterns and brain chemistry, Goleman tells interesting stories about people knowing just the right moves to influence others. He opens with a story of a young Captain in Iraq defusing a tense situation with the local populace as his men approaced a mosque on a routine patrol. By having the men drop their rifles from the typical ready position and smile, the crowd seemed to sense they were not there to attack the mosque and the atmosphere changed dramatically.
I found myself recalling good managers I had known who seemed to have a knack for doing things that Goleman says can now be measured as having positive impacts with people. Like Emotional Intelligence, this is a discussion book, not a how-to book. I liked it and would revisit it a few years down the road.
This post done later, in Jan of 2010, though I read book last spring. Trying to get caught up again.
