Written by Daniel Goleman [more]
Preface: I read this when it came out in 1995 and I've just started to re-read it. I remember being attracted to it by the words "emotional hijacking" Goleman referenced in an interview. Being a guy who has lived with anger all my life (I have a bad temper that likes to appear at the oddest times), I needed to learn if my temper actually "hijacked" my own peace and effectiveness with others. Since then, I've observed many brilliant (IQ) people who destroyed their effectiveness by having very low EQ. If you have not read it, it's just as relevant today as it was 16 years ago.
A favorite quote:
"And so the worrying mind spins on in an endless loop of low grade melodrama, one set of concerns leading on to the next and back again."
http://www.amazon.com/Emotional-Intelligence