When I went on to write my next book, Working With Emotional Intelligence, I wanted to make a business case that the best performers were those people strong in these skills.

Goleman is describing a deliberate shift from popularizing “emotional intelligence” as a psychological concept to arguing for its practical value in workplaces. By framing his next book as a “business case,” he signals an evidence-oriented appeal to managers and organizations: emotional competencies (self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skill) are not merely “soft” traits but measurable predictors of superior performance. The quote also implies a corrective to traditional merit metrics (IQ, technical expertise, credentials), suggesting that what differentiates top performers is often how they manage themselves and relationships under pressure. It reflects the late-1990s/early-2000s management trend toward competency models and performance-based validation of interpersonal skills.