This is not a good article.

To start with, any of the clinical or popular discussions of emotional intelligence basically boil down to "empathy." Emotional intelligence is the ability to read yourself and read others. It's not a slavish need to act purely on emotion - the statement "For mechanics, scientists, and accountants, emotional intelligence was a liability rather than an asset" is only true if that "awareness" is paired with an inability to control one's behavior, which is an essential part of emotional intelligence.

For another thing, the foundation of "dark side" is predicated on

Implications for linking the EI fad in personnel selection to established psychological theory are discussed

in one meta-study - no conclusions are drawn. Even the author says "Although more research is needed to unpack these results, one promising explanation is that these employees were paying attention to emotions when they should have been focusing on their tasks." In other words, it's possible that some jobs don't require as much emotional intelligence as others, but more study is needed.

DUH.

The Greeks broke rhetoric down to Ethos, Pathos, Logos in that order. Ethos: "I am trustworthy." Pathos: "I am compelling." Logos: "I am technically correct." The art of persuasion has not ever been and shall never be solely a matter of being right. Emotional intelligence, rather than having a "dark" side, both allows one to use one's emotions and be aware when one's emotions are being used. There's nothing "dark" about that.

I really love this statement:

In a study led by the University of Toronto psychologist Stéphane Côté, university employees filled out a survey about their Machiavellian tendencies, and took a test measuring their knowledge about effective strategies for managing emotions. Then, Cote’s team assessed how often the employees deliberately undermined their colleagues. The employees who engaged in the most harmful behaviors were Machiavellians with high emotional intelligence. They used their emotional skills to demean and embarrass their peers for personal gain.

"In a study in which people were assessed on their awareness of their own evil, researchers discovered that those who were aware of their own evil tended to be evil."

DUH.

This is the part where I link to one of my favorite articles on the subject.