Thank you for signing up for the Emotional Intelligence mini course
You will start to receive an email each day for four days. We will cover different topics each day. If you have any questions please let me know.
A little back ground on EI:
Gary Hart a presidential candidate was driven , intelligent and a sure winner. Then, something unbelievable happened. During the primaries, a reporter confronted Gary and suggested, based on some rumors, that her was having an extramarital affair. “Follow me around. I don’t care. I’m serious. If anybody wants to put a tail on me go ahead. They’ll be very bored.” This now famous statement would change his life within 24 hours. The Miami Herald broke the story of his affair with Donna Rice
At the same time, Peter Salovey and John Mayer, two psychologist from Yale and New Hampshire Universities where collaborators in a research project on emotions, intelligence and personality got interested in this story.
How could someone so intelligent could do and say something so lacking in intelligence under the circumstances. How could it be that he was very intelligent in one area, political and not so intelligent in another?
John and Peter came up with the idea that people must have some other kind of intelligence, an emotional intelligence, quite separate from the cognitive intelligence IQ which everyone knows about. They reasoned that they could probably find some way to measure this intelligence in the same way that widely used intelligences test measure IQ.
Peter and jack further developed the concept and then wrote a scientific paper titled “Emotional Intelligence” which they published in an obscure scientific journal
So what we are saying is that a person can have book smarts, but not street smarts, because of a lack of emotional awareness and control or Emotional Intelligence
Many studies have proven that at least two forms of intelligence exist One cognitive intelligence and Emotional intelligence
Cognitive intelligence focuses on the ability to act purposefully, think rationally and deal effectively with your environment. To measure this psychologists administer IQ tests, your intelligence quotient.
So simply, IQ measures an individual’s intellect, analytical, logical and rational abilities. This measures verbal, spatial, visual and mathematical skills. This gauges how you understand new things, retain and recall objectives information, solve problems by the application of prior knowledge. If you have a high IQ you’re well equipped to pass all sorts of examinations with flying colours and score well on IQ tests.
On the other hand, Emotional intelligence focus on your ability to be aware of, understand and manage both your own and other people’s emotions in order to adapt to life’s demands and pressures. Read others emotions and able to respond with the appropriate emotion, knowing how emotions affect yourself.
So the question becomes why Emotional Intelligence in the workplace?
Let’s start with people within the organization
Good leadership skills are directly related to emotional intelligence skills, such as empathy, regard for self and others, assertiveness and independence.
You can use EI to put the right person within the right job or team and create outstanding performance. This in turns normally creates a team with good interpersonal skills and supportive teammates which is an engaged team. This leads to an environment where co-workers socialize and bond, which is also known as team building..
This means a high functioning team, demands that work is challenging at some level. A balanced work load. To little leads to boredom too much leads to burnout, so low value or irrelevant work will sap the drive and motivation from the work. Clear goals that connect the work benefits and community, society, country or world and believing in the companies values and missions.
Emotionally intelligent workplaces are productive, socially responsible, profitable which attract the best talent. Which requires leaders who are committed to developing this environment.
Take a moment now and consider which leaders or companies demonstrate this Emotional Intelligence we are talking about.
In a list put together by Chip Conley on Emotionally intelligent CEO’s.
Chip lists Jeff Bezos from Amazon.com for his obsession with the hearts and minds of customers . Warren Buffett of Berkshire Hathaway who says “that investing doesn’t correlate with IQ, what you need is the temperament to control the urges that get other people into trouble investing” Buffett is intensely loyal and relationship driven.
Ursula burns of Xerox is direct, respectful and assertive that inspires her employees. Howard Schultz from Starbucks who said that main reason he come back was Love for the company and its people. Quote from Howard “Care more that others think wise, Risk more than others think safe, Risk more than others think safe and Dream more than others think practical”
How to Recognize an emotionally intelligent person
Good at solving problems for self and others, easy to express feelings and beliefs to others, knowing what your good at and where you lack skills. Thoughtful and carefully plan reactions to situations, really listen, know where your going in life, usually happy and look on the bright side of life, easy to change tasks if needed and has a balance when it comes to making important decisions of self and others. This tends to show by a high awareness of your mood, good understanding of why you feel the why you do, know how others feel, and how to get the best out of people even so-called negative situations.
In contrast an unintelligent tend to have very little self-awareness, so my not even be aware how they come across to other people and have low empathy.
As we said you have an intellectual smarts but be unhappy with life, have poor problem solving skills, find it difficult to maintain relationships and may be overlooked for promotions at work
Action from this session
Over the next week notice how people around act when under stress, at work, shopping and note the how they react, decide if you think that person has Emotional Intelligence or not, note the emotion.
Please look out for the upcoming EI email mini course over the next few days.
Read more about the full live training being held this year click here
