I've heard that Goleman's work on emotional intelligence has recievied severe criticism from people who study emotional intelligence in academia. Goleman's major claims are very controversial (if not outright false) and he seems more motivated by setting himself up as a consultant (to make lots of money) than to figure out the acutal nature of emotional intelligence (if there is any such thing). He ignores the major researchers in the field and don't be misled that his PhD has any relevance to this field. He also uses the term 'emotional intelligence' in a very idiosyncratic way (that is significantly out of touch with the way the experts use the term).

So...

I'm a bit sceptical. See (for example)

http://eqi.org/gole.htm#How%20Golema...20the%20public

(if you scroll down there is a lengthy discussion)