'From Command to Empathy' book review: Emotional Quotient for beginners

You need to read just three Daniel Goleman books on the subject to know all that you really need to know about emotional intelligence (EI) or emotional quotient (EQ), whichever way you wish to refer to it. One is Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (1995), which for the first time examined EI as an essential input to success. Then there is Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998), in which Mr Goleman put together case studies on EI-led victories and disasters in more than 500 corporations across the globe (Many regard it as Goleman's best work). And, finally, there is The Brain and Emotional Intelligence (2011), which chronicled much of the neurological research on emotional intelligence.

 
In between, there have been a plethora of books on the subject, but after you’ve read Goleman, there is little that is new or earthshaking in the books that followed — although the concept has evolved quite interestingly over the past few decades and a lot of research money has also gone into it. From Command to Empathy would have fallen into the same trap had it not been the heavy Indian perspective it offers.
 
The two fundamental points made by authors Avik Chanda and Suman Ghose are: one, the earlier command and control structure of the organisation has become redundant in the highly volatile environment of today, and two, new generation workers seek understanding and empathy more than anything else in their workplaces in general and in their leaders in particular. The best — and indeed the only —way a leader can hope to bridge the gap between control and empathy is by fostering trust, inclusiveness and empowerment. And to be able to do that effectively, he needs dollops of emotional intelligence.

 

So far so good. After it had established the case for EQ, you would expect the book to tell you “how” to go about it. That is where From Command to Empathy falls short.
 
Where the authors seem to have lost the plot is in being able to say okay, this is how you deploy this precious thing called EI or EQ, and these are the tangible benefits you could get out of it. They do offer many examples and situations, and these are thrashed out in great detail but what is missing is a pathway, a roadmap: How does one get there? Here I was not even expecting the rigour with which, say, Travis Bradberry, Jean Greaves and Patrick M Lencioni had put together a step-by-step programme for the reader in Emotional Intelligence 2.0 (2009).

 
Without getting into how much of that was right or wrong or whether one could actually follow them through, Bradberry et al made it clear you what you were up against. That systematic thinking is missing in this book — that’s the sense I got. Also, the play with abbreviations - STEM, ESTEEM and so on - was avoidable. Also unnecessary were the charts (for the want of a better descriptor) like “A calender for reflexion” (Chapter 8; Being reflective: Are you missing the big picture) or “Communicating with Empathy” (Chapter 9; Being Empathetic: Game, Set and Match). These are exercises we do all the time — there was no need to unnecessarily complicate the easy stuff.

 
Before this becomes a long rant about the things missing in the book, here are some good things about it. First, its structure, and second, the editing. Talking of structure, the chapters are clearly focused. The first two have a range of real-life experiences to establish the case for EQ. The authors then go on to show how EQ can help establishing a more empathetic culture in an organisation. In chapter 3, they explore the elements of “an emotionally enabled individual’s personality” and outline the traits the new-age professional requires. The next chapter is probably the most tricky one — it tries to unravel the millennial, her aspirations and what she brings to the table, using their own experience in working with and mentoring them. Chapter 5 on “From STEM to ESTEEM” is not very original. In a large part, it tries to build on Goleman’s model. This chapter actually goes back and forth — it also talks about how EQ can be advanced through education and training. Chapters 6, 7, 8 and 9 put the spotlight on the traits that make a leader more empathetic — yes, with some overlaps with chapter 3. I guess the more empathetic you are the better is your EQ, and that makes you a better leader.

 
The editing is competent and that makes From Command to Empathy an easy read. The stories are told in a manner to which everyone can relate.
 
The fact is this: Emotional Intelligence is a powerful relationship instrument and the basic rules remain the same whether you are in the age of disruption or that of organisation. So a good idea might have been to title this book From Command to Empathy: EQ for Beginners. From Command to Empathy: Using EQ in the Age of Disruption
By Avik Chanda & Suman Ghose
Publisher: Harper Business
Pages: 218, Price: Rs 599