Mike, Thank you for your comments and for including a very important insight about EI and empathy. I was involved in a discussion recently in which a person told me about a conversation in which he used information he knew about another person's emotions to manipulate that person to do what he wanted him to do. He felt remorse and wanted to prevent that in the future, but you are right. Understanding emotions is not the same as feeling them. For one to have true EI, he or she must also have empathy, and Goleman includes empathy as part of his definition of EI.
For leaders and people in organizations, it is important to consider the emotional climate and work to improve it. I believe it is very important to continue to address EI in organizations in a way that goes beyond the superficial components and changes behavior so that individuals can thrive. I do not believe it is feasible to try to deal with pathological elements of EI in most work settings, but people must recognize how emotions affect them and their actions and how they affect other people. While I do no believe we can teach empathy, I believe we can instill in groups and organizations the understanding that emotions drive behavior and success for the group and individuals in it.
I look forward to reading more comments from you.