Be aware.

Organizational psychologist and best-selling author Adam Grant identified EQ at its worst in his essay, The Dark Side of Emotional Intelligence:

"Recognizing the power of emotions...one of the most influential leaders of the 20th century spent years studying the emotional effects of his body language. Practicing his hand gestures and analyzing images of his movements allowed him to become 'an absolutely spellbinding public speaker,' says the historian Roger Moorhouse--'it was something he worked very hard on.'

His name was Adolf Hitler."

As Grant points out, the unbridled enthusiasm for emotional intelligence has obscured a side we often don't think about.

"New evidence shows that when people hone their emotional skills, they become better at manipulating others," says Grant. "When you're good at controlling your own emotions, you can disguise your true feelings. When you know what others are feeling, you can tug at their heartstrings and motivate them to act against their own best interests."

Grant also highlights research by University of Cambridge professor Jochen Menges. Menges's studies document that audiences were "less likely to scrutinize" a leader's message when he or she gave "an inspiring speech filled with emotion".

Ironically, although audience members claimed to recall more content from the speech than they would typically, they actually remembered less.