See Jan's recent article about  Emotional Intelligence - in Southern Cross University Managing Matters magazine Summer 2010

Managing Matters Issue 6-summer 2010

Emotional Intelligence: success for individual

leaders and organisations

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a concept that is foreign to most in the workplace, yet it is an incredibly important skill to under­stand and develop, particularly for current and aspiring leaders.

I am unashamedly passionate about the impor­tance of developing the ‘softer’ human resources side of people and companies. As such, my coaching and consulting services, either when working with individuals or organisations want­ing to improve their leadership and manage­ment skills, have a strong focus on developing EI skills. This leads to people being more in control of their work and lives, which in turn leads to improved work productivity and enjoyment and has an enormous and proven effect on the success of businesses and organisations.

Research (Goleman, 2000) indicates almost ninety per cent of success in leadership is attrib­utable to EI. Contemporary leaders are not just judged on intelligence, training and expertise but how they handle themselves and others. Those around them look to their leaders’ abil­ity to work cooperatively, to stay motivated, their desire to keep learning and improving, and most importantly how well they work with others, all of which are EI skills.

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, assess and manage emotions of self and others.

There are four main emotional capabilities according to Goleman (2000):

Self Awareness

> Awareness of own feelings and impact on others,

> Awareness of personal strengths and weakness,

> Self Confidence.

Self-Management

> Self Control – keep disruptive emotions and impulses under control,

> Trustworthiness – consistent display of honesty and integrity,

> Conscientiousness – ability to manage your­self and your responsibilities,

> Adaptability – skill at adjusting to changing situations and overcoming obstacles,

> Achievement orientation – drive to meet an internal standard of excellence,

> Initiative – readiness to seize opportunities.

Social Awareness

> Empathy – skill at sensing other people’s emotions, understanding their perspec­tive and taking an active interest in their concerns,

> Organisational awareness – ability to read the currents of organisational life, build deci­sion networks and navigate politics,

> Service orientation – ability to recognise and meet customers’ needs.

Social Skill

> Visionary leadership – ability to take charge and inspire with a compelling vision,

> Influence – ability to wield a range of persua­sive tactics,

> Developing others – propensity to bolster the abilities of others through feedback and guidance,

> Communication – skill at listening and at sending clear, concise messages.

What does high EI look like?

Emotionally aware people typically:

• know the emotions they are feeling and why. They do experience negative emotions yet control how they use these emotions,

• realise the links between their feelings and what they think, do and say. If feeling anger they know to give themselves and others time to defuse before launching into a conversation that may become heated and not productive,

• recognise how their feelings affect their performance and relationships,

• have a guiding awareness of their values and goals. They are authentic and genuine…what you see is what you get,

• they can give convincing and well-tuned messages,

• they are proficient in initiating new ideas and leading people in a new direction,

• they are good at conflict management and have the ability to de-escalate disagreements and orchestrate resolutions,

• they build bonds by being proficient at cultivat­ing and maintaining a web of relationships,

• they enhance teamwork and collaboration by promoting cooperation and developing others.

Strategies to develop Emotional Intelligence

Some people are naturally gifted in EI. Barrack Obama is highly articulate, influential, empathic, calm, self-disciplined and already has displayed courage and integrity in taking on difficult issues. Most of us mere mortals have to work at improv­ing our skills. The good news is that EI can be improved but the bad news is it does time take time and perseverance. There is no quick fix. Our emotional behaviour is set as adults and like any habit it takes time and perseverance to change habits. Also there is no one size fits all solutions. Like any training program it needs to be tailored to meet the individual learning needs and preferences of the person.

The first step to making any change is through self-awareness. People need to honestly assess themselves on all aspects of EI then with that self appraisal choose one or two areas to work on. The following five skills are a good place to start.

1. Spend some time developing self-awareness. Keep a daily journal of the variety of emotions you feel and see if you link them to particular triggers. Look at each of the EI components and consider how you rate in each area. What are your strengths and weaknesses? When you feel anger or frustration practice pausing and thinking before reacting, that is, experi­ence the emotion but choose how you react.

2. Work on developing your communication skills. This includes both listening and watch­ing others to practice reading their emotions as well as practicing being assertive. By being assertive you get your needs met while respecting others.

3. Work on developing an optimistic outlook. This doesn’t mean being blind to the realities of life but it means looking at the positives in your life and using those to build confidence and calmness.

4. Taking the time for mindfulness. Be totally present and focused on an activity, rather than letting your mind race to the next task or dwelling on the past.

5. Make sure you have plenty of time to renew and refresh in your life. We lead our lives at very speedy levels and we are often too busy or preoccupied to rest our bodies and minds. It is not possible to develop EI when we are on autopilot.

I recommend that people work with a coach to improve their EI as this provides external support and encouragement to achieve the desired goals. Growing EI takes commitment and prac­tice. Yet who wouldn’t want to thrive and flour­ish at work (and life) and have their businesses thrive and flourish? Therefore it is worth the time and investment needed to understand and develop these skills.

Jan is Managing Director of Redgate Consulting, a leadership coaching and consulting business, and is an alumni member of the Southern Cross University Graduate College of Management.

Reference:

Goleman, D. (2000) Leadership that gets results. Harvard Business Review,

Mar-Apr, p80