Emotional Intelligence

• How do we interact with each other?
• How do I respond in difficult situations?
• Why does the job not get done when everything else is in place?
• Why do people make choices that cause havoc in the workplace?

The answer to these questions may be in understanding emotional intelligence.

According to trainer Gleb Gladwin, emotional intelligence is another way to measure effectiveness and train people to be better and more satisfied employees.  We’ve all heard of IQ; now EQ (Emotional Quotient) is considered more valuable.

However, most managers are more comfortable dealing with the outward signs of poor performance, rather than the root causes which may relate to emotional intelligence.

Emotional intelligence is the accepted term for the area of Human Resource study that measures and explains the critical importance of emotional maturity and being successful.

Emotional intelligence training helps people to deal with the emotional elements of their being.  There is evidence that people who have mastered the art of their emotional reactions, combined with the ability to be sensitive to other’s emotions are more successful in work and life.

Author Daniel Goleman, who has written a book called Emotional Intelligence, coined the term.  It is related to the part of our brain that helps us to learn through intense emotional experience. However, people are more comfortable with safe learning part of being rather than emotional-based learning.

In the workplace we know how to train technically good doctors, computer repair people, fire fighters, farmers, et cetera.

Emotional Intelligence (EI) training, coaching and consulting is different.  It’s about feelings, about sensing things, about trusting and not trusting based on difficult to measure factors.

Owners and managers want employees with great attitude and ability to work with other people in productive ways.

Yet business owners and managers regularly state that attitude, leadership, good communicators, and trustworthy and noble individuals are hard to find or to train.

EI “soft skills” training creates awareness of individuals to have better attitudes, be better leaders and to communicate “from the heart.”

Emotionally intelligent people create healthier and more profitable work environments.  Sometimes that’s the only difference between a high stress work place and a fun and exciting place to be.

Emotional intelligence trainers use three learning approaches: learning by doing, coaching and self-study.

In learning by doing (also called the experiential approach), students display various behaviours and experience the reactions.  The purpose is to see how actions and choices don’t match what is said or felt.  People discover their power to choose appropriate behaviours.

In coaching, students are challenged to discover and improve their inner competencies.  By being held accountable, they learn integrity and truth-telling.

Self-study, through observation and journal writing, helps students evaluate their current behaviour and suggest ways to improve.

Some of the benefits of emotional intelligence training are:

• Develop a high self-awareness
• Learn to manage emotions
• Self-motivation
• Learn new communication skills
• Develop interpersonal expertise
• Help others help themselves