Who would you rather deal with: a doctor who listens attentively as you describe your symptoms or one who is certain he knows your problem before he's examined you? A salesperson who asks questions before offering an opinion or one who launches right into a pitch for her latest product? The car salesman who takes the time to find out what's important to you or the hard closer who wants to rush you into a sale?
In each of these examples, the first person displays a high level of emotional intelligence ("EQ"). A person with a high EQ is able to empathize with another and appreciate her humanity. He is able to truly hear what his prospects say and keep his ego from getting in the way of helping them.
This begs the question: Is being "good" good for business? I say absolutely yes. We all want to be surrounded by people of goodwill—thoughtful, polite and empathetic. Good people are resilient, willing to sacrifice for others, patient, forgiving, self-confident, positive-thinking and fun to be around. They can appreciate a good joke. Who wouldn't want to be around such people?
