An examination of the relationship between emotional intelligence and work- related outcomes

The psychological construct known as emotional intelligence (EI) is demonstrated by a person's ability to perceive and express emotion. This includes the ability to facilitate feelings in connection to emotional knowledge. This also includes the ability to adapt and regulate emotions to well-being. It is suggested that those individuals with higher emotional intelligence have greater acuity of social and emotional competencies as well as leadership capability. It is these specific competencies that ostensibly lead to superior performance, aptitude and promotions. Therefore, one would postulate based on the previous assumption that those individuals with lower emotional intelligence would historically have less social and emotional skills, which are evidenced by less success and fewer promotions. One of the objectives of this research is to assess the emotional intelligence of the sales staff, as measured by the Emotional Social Competency Inventory, and to assess what correlations exists between those competencies and sales performance. Correlation analysis exists that has shown strong relationships between leadership skills and emotional competencies. However, the literature is not replete in regards to the relationship between emotional intelligence and sales performance in the pharmaceutical industry.