Emotional intelligence (EQ) by Burkhard Stubert ;)

Excerpts from Burkhard Stubert's Letter dated 4th Sept 2006:
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There was a story about Tunisian Student; This story pinpoints : emotional intelligence (EQ).
I think the student will make his way, because he is emotionally
intelligent - not only rationally intelligent. EQ is a much better
predictor for future success at school, university, or work than IQ is.
Numerous studies show this. There is a simple experiment with four year
olds. They are given a choice. They can eat a chocolate right now or
they can do something for 15 minutes (e.g., building a house with Lego
bricks or listening to a story) and get two chocolates. Guess! Those who
take the second choice with the two chocolates have much better grades
at schools. Well, school is a lot about delayed gratification: learn for
hours, days, or even months to get the gratification for your work much
later. But it will also give you a big boost forward in your career or
life. Isn't this amazing?

If you want to learn more about EQ, you should read the two books by
Daniel Goleman: "Emotional Intelligence" and "Working with Emotional
Intelligence". I have read the first one in India already. I am
currently reading the second one and drawing a lot of comparisons with
my working life. The second book also points out why trust and faith is
so essential.

I have another very interesting reading for you: James Surowiecki, "The
Wisdom of Crowds. Why the Many AreSmarter than the Few and How
Collective Wisdom Shapes Business, Economies, Societies, and Nations."
This one will change your thinking and your acting completely. Fill a
glass with candies and let some 30 or more people estimate how many
candies are in the glass. The people are only allowed to look through
the glass. They are, of course, not allowed to take out any candies. The
average of the estimates will be very close to the real number if not
exactly right. If you repeat this experiment several times, you will
also find out that no individual is constantly better than the group and
that typically no individual gives a better estimate than the group.
This kind of group IQ works only if the members of the group work
independently. It does not matter whether all the members are experts in
the subject matter.

A group of 25 people somewhere in Idaho was better in guessing the
results of US federal and state elections over the last years than any
professional institution. They were just normal people. The number of 25
people is far from being representative. But nevertheless, their guesses
are more accurate than that of the professional augurs. Amazing, or?
With lots of examples, Surowiecki explains the consequences for daily
working life and how to exploit these findings about group IQ.

End of excerpts from Burkhard Stubert's email.
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With my limited knowledge; when i thought in similar direction; extrapolating this concept for generation of better ideas within the team. I found that best ideas can be genertaed within the team or project by brain storming sessions by team members.
The most important prerequisit and also the assumption behind is that all team members should be brought to a common platform. Only then we can really achieve
the best solutions and products and concepts.

- Bharat Singh / rathorebharat