Emotional Intelligence at Work

Posted on March 04, 2012 by Dr Patrick Hopp, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.

Consider the following scenarios:

Brad graduated near the top of his high-school class and scored in the 95th percentile on the SATs. It came to no one’s surprise when his classmates voted him “most likely to succeed.” Brad accepted a scholarship to one of the nations most prestigious collegiate institutions where he double majored in computer science and business. In college, Brad could not get by on his intelligence alone, but proved to be a hard worker and again earned high marks. While most of his classmates were trying to find time to study in the midst of a busy social life, Brad remained focused on his goals of academic excellence, which he knew would serve him well in a competitive job market after graduation. He, of course, was right. Because his professors were impressed by his technical skills and dedication, they wrote him outstanding letters of recommendation and he found himself in the envious position of having to choose between several attractive job offers. For Brad though, the choice was easy. He accepted the highest bidder’s offer and went to work for a software company as a programming engineer.

Brad seemed to have it all. He was bright, dedicated, well educated, creative, and enthusiastic. He excelled as a programmer, finding new ways to solve problems and deliver inventive designs. The job seemed perfectly suited for him. He was given the autonomy to apply his skills in relative isolation without having the unnecessary distractions that came from interacting with people who didn’t understand his innovative approaches. Brad’s department head recognized his potential right away and, because Brad had received management training in college, decided to promote him to management. And that’s when things got interesting…

Brad spent the majority of his time as a manager “checking up” on the other programmers’ work. He expected them to be as gifted as he and when they did not meet his expectations, he would roll his eyes and make demoralizing comments. Although he could show them how to improve their work by doing it for them, he was unable to teach them how to do it on their own. Much to the surprise of his department head, Brad’s team’s performance began to drop below average. Brad then redoubled his efforts and began holding regular meetings designed to motivate his reports to try harder. Even though he was mindful of the management techniques he learned in college and attempted to use innovative incentives and encouraging language, his body language seemed to communicate something entirely different. Brad’s anxiety about failing for the first time in his life was palpable and he somehow caused his entire team to feel his fear. In spite of Brad’s undeniable intelligence and ambition, at the end of his first year as a “leader,” he had managed to lower team morale, undermine trust, decrease cooperation, increase turn-over, and weaken productivity.

Now consider Veronica.
Veronica was not particularly distinguished in high school. Although she earned good grades, she did not seem interested in competing for honors or recognition. Instead, she focused on pursuing the things she found most internally rewarding. For her, that meant spending time with friends, playing on the tennis team, reading, art, and volunteering at her church. Even though her interests weren’t always en vogue and she wasn’t the most popular girl in school, she was well liked and always had several people whom she considered to be her “best friends.”

When it came time to decide on a college Veronica carefully considered her options and then chose to attend a small liberal arts college because she thought the smaller class sizes would allow her to get to know her professors and classmates better.

She quickly adjusted to college life and thrived on all of the diverse opportunities. Whereas many of her classmates had difficulty deciding on a major and picking a career path, Veronica seemed to navigate these choices with ease. Despite her active social life, she valued her time alone and intentionally spent time reflecting and trying to understand how she felt about things. Although she could not always clearly articulate her emotions, she had learned to trust her intuition and it usually served her well. After a year of exploring her options, she chose to purse a degree in graphics design because she loved the combination of creative and technical challenges that it offered. When graduation arrived, Veronica had only two job offers to choose from. Although her parents advised her to take the one with the most promise for immediate career advancement, she just couldn’t see herself being happy at either of the firms that had offered her a position. She chose to wait and not accept either offer. When three months went by and she still hadn’t found what she was looking for, it would have been easy for her to get frustrated or demoralized. But, she challenged herself to stay positive and keep looking for a “good fit.” Eventually it came. She knew right away that she was going to enjoy working for the publishing company. The work sounded both interesting and fun, plus she just seemed to “click” with several of the people who interviewed her.

Veronica seemed to fit right in with the other members of the design team. Even though she was unfamiliar with the work, she was eager to take on new projects and enjoyed the challenge of being out of her comfort zone. Occasionally she felt overwhelmed, but she had no problem assertively asking others for direction when she needed it, and there was something about how she approached them that made them glad to help. She felt good about the value she was adding to her team and was willing to share what she was learning with others without concern for who would get the credit.

Veronica, like Brad, was eventually promoted to management. Although it could be argued that she had less natural talent than some of those she managed, no one seemed to resent her for it. She took the time to build personal relationships with each person on her team and, more importantly, spent more time listening than talking. Veronica worked hard to understand what motivated each individual, what their personal strengths and weaknesses were and why. In her weekly project meetings she regularly made time for everyone to “check in” and talk about how they felt things were going. In addition to affirming the teams’ performance, she also went out of her way to recognize the contributions people
made to teamwork and morale. When problems arose, she confronted them firmly and directly with clear expectations and specific recommendations for improvement without getting angry or causing people to become defensive. At the end of her first year as a manager, Veronica received special recognition and appreciation from the company’s executive VP that she was destined to eventually replace.

Why did Veronica with her less than stellar resume excel as a leader while Brad, despite his obvious talents, cause dysfunction? Two words— Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Although Brad would receive higher marks on an IQ test, Veronica would receive higher marks on an EQ test. People with greater emotional intelligence tend to be better-adjusted and more able to cope with the demands of their environment.ii EQ is what enables a person to recognize their emotions and effectively regulate them without becoming internally overwhelmed. EQ also allows us to understand and empathize with other people’s feelings. Measures of Emotional Intelligence assess the following areas:iii

Intrarpersonal EQ: Relates to self-confidence and self-awareness. People with higher levels tend to be more outspoken, independent, and assertive. They are able to hear and interpret their feelings and use them as a guide.

Interpersonal EQ: Relates to how well a person understands and responds to other people’s feelings. High scorers tend to be responsible and have good empathy and social skills. They are service oriented and work well in teams.

Adaptability EQ: Relates to how well a person is able to cope with environmental demands by accurately assessing what is required to solve problems and then apply internal and external resources to bring about a desired change. High scores suggest an abilit*y to be both realistic and flexible.

Stress Management EQ: Measures resiliency to stress. People with higher scores are generally able to deal with pressure while maintaining composure. They also have a greater ability to delay gratification and control their impulses.

General Mood EQ: Measures ones capacity to enjoy life and maintain an overall contented and optimistic word view. High scorers tend to be cheerful, hopeful people who create a positive work environment.

What does EQ have to do with business leadership?
The skills and competencies that comprise emotional intelligence are directly related to being an effective leader in the business world.

Intrapersonal EQ: Leaders must know how they feel about things and be able to act quickly and effectively on their intuition. Good leaders are able to take in far more information than they can think about with their logical brains and unconsciously process this information well enough to have a “gut feeling” about it. They then need to assertively voice their thoughts and feelings in ways that allow others to both understand and be receptive. If their instincts turn out to be wrong, their self-concept must be solid enough to not fall apart and cause them to get defensive or irritable. Instead, they learn from their mistakes, which help them to continually sharpen their intuition. Leaders with high Intrapersonal EQ take time to be quiet and reflect, even in the midst of busy schedules and increasing demands.

Interpersonal EQ: Leaders must be able to sense the emotional climate of their organization. Effective leaders are not dependent on others to tell them when morale has dropped. They have close and mutually satisfying relationships with people at every level in the corporate structure and these people trust and respect them enough to be honest with them. When a leader with high Interpersonal EQ is approached about a problem, she actively listens to understand not only the facts, but also people’s reactions and feelings to the facts—which she considers to be equally important.

Adaptability EQ: Leaders must be aware of the changing demands of their environment. Effective leaders are not afraid of change because they are not overly attached to their assumptions or expectations. If something doesn’t work, they are able to effectively problem solve and move on without regret or blame. In order to have this kind of flexibility leaders with high EQ have learned that their identity is not based on what they do, but on who they are.

Stress Management EQ: Leaders must remain calm under stress, manage their impulses and delay gratification. Good leaders have the emotional capacity to persevere while striving towards long-term goals instead of jumping to short-term solutions. When the pressure is on, an effective leader does not panic and cause others to get upset. He is able to manage his own anxiety and keep his cool while looking for answers, not scapegoats. Leaders with high EQ have learned the lessons of the serenity prayer: They have the courage to change the things they can change, the serenity to accept the things they cannot change, and the wisdom to know the difference.

General Mood EQ: Leaders must maintain a positive attitude. Although effective leaders are realistic, they are also optimistic. They are able to be conveyors of hope, even when things are not going according to plans. Good leaders are able to laugh and have fun at work, which helps to create a positive business culture throughout the organization. Leaders with high EQ have learned that there is more to life than their personal successes and failures.

If the link between Emotional Intelligence and effective business leadership is still not apparent, consider some of the research. Studies indicate that when organizations are comprised of people with higher EQ they also tend to have: greater sales productivity, fewer grievances, better ability to recognize business opportunities, more effective communication, lower turnover, greater job satisfaction, decreased absenteeism, higher levels of productivity and creativity, stronger integrity, better compliance to ethical standards, and—greater profitability!

Where does Emotional Intelligence come from?

In short, emotional intelligence comes from our brains. When most of us think of the brain we think of the neocortex. This is the conscious part of the brain that distinguishes us from other animals. It is what allows us to use logic and make well thought through and rational decisions. We typically forget that most of our brain does not work this way. Beneath the neocortex exists a complicated web of nuero-systems and structures that perform all sorts of vital and amazing functions largely outside of our awareness. One of these is the limbic system. The limbic system is responsible for generating and regulating emotional sensations. We share the design of our limbic system with other mammals and have relied on it through thousands of years of evolution to help us understand and communicate with the environment.

When we collect information through our senses and send it to our brains, the neocortex systematically processes it and the limbic system quickly generates a feeling about it in the form of bodily sensations. For example, if you were to walk through a jungle and suddenly see a tiger coming toward you, your neocortex would process this visual information and label it. “Based on the size, relative, shape, and coloring of that stimuli, I would have to conclude that it is a large feline like mammal—most likely a tiger— and it seems to be moving in this direction.” Your limbic system, on the other hand, would skip all that and simply react, “A tiger!!” It would then send powerful signals to your large muscles causing them to tighten so you could run, to your heart so it would beat faster allowing for more blood flow, and to your chest and lungs allowing you to breath faster and increase oxygen levels.

When the neocortex and limbic system are well coordinated, we are able to effectively perceive what is happening around us and generate appropriate thoughts and feelings that lead to intelligent decisions and functional behaviors. But we must first learn how to coordinate these parts of the brain. Psychologists and neuro-biologists now agree that we learn most of these necessary skills in childhood. As we grow, we are constantly bombarded with cognitive and emotional stimuli. We learn how to interpret and coordinate all of this information largely from our parents and other important people in our life. When others do a good job of helping us label our emotions (“You’re upset because your tummy hurts? You must be hungry.”) and then teach us how to deal with them (“If you can just wait ten minutes, we will have some lunch.”), we eventually learn to internalize these responses and can effectively develop the skills necessary to correctly label our feelings, self-soothe our anxiety, delay gratification, empathize with others, etc. In other words, we build our emotional intelligence.

The need for emotionally intelligent leaders

Just as children look to their parents for lessons in emotional intelligence, so do employees look to their leaders. Research shows that leaders have a powerful impact on the emotions of those they lead.iv We naturally turn to our leaders in times of emotional distress to figure out how to react. Business leaders with lower EQ seem to generate negative emotional reactions in their employees, causing them to be more likely to feel overwhelmed by the signals generated in their limbic systems. This makes it more difficult for them to think and function effectively. Leaders with higher EQ have a positive emotional impact on their people and cause them to be more likely to feel good about themselves and their work, even during times of stress. In spite of these facts, businesses typically aim nearly 100% of their trainings efforts at the neocortex and ignore the existence and importance of the rest of the brain.

The time has come for us to recognize the value of emotional intelligence in the workplace. The research on emotional intelligence is overwhelmingly convincing. Those with greater EQ make greater leaders. The skills and competencies measured by EQ now offer us a way to accurately define leadership. Organizations should adopt EQ training in their leadership development programs. Mentors and managers should be made aware of the importance of EQ and work to reinforce values and competencies that are consistent with higher levels of EQ in employees. When leaders hire new people, they should look not only at a candidate’s experience, technical skills, and measured accomplishments; but also look for signs of strong emotional intelligence.

How to improve emotional intelligence

Good news! Studies show that even though we learn the foundations for emotional intelligence in childhood, we can continue to strengthen and develop our EQ as adults.v Like most valuable lessons in life, learning how to build your EQ cannot be mastered overnight. It takes dedication, patience, and practice. Because no two people are the same, it is impossible to fully appreciate the steps necessary for each individual to take on the road to greater EQ. We each have a variety of EQ strengths and weaknesses that need to be taken into consideration. It is also important to realize that although two people may have similar EQ deficits, they might have acquired them for different reasons. That said, there are some general practices that will likely help any leader improve their emotional intelligence:

1. Become self-aware. You cannot improve your EQ weaknesses and build on your strengths if you don’t know what they are. We now have statistically valid measures of EQ that can provide you with accurate feedback and help you develop a plan for improvement.

2. Spend more time reflecting. You can’t expect to develop your powers of intuition and learn from your emotions if you don’t pay attention to them. Leaders need to see reflection and introspection not as a luxury, but a necessity.

3. Get curious about your emotions. To improve your EQ you have to want to know why you feel what you do. It may be important to ask yourself what need, value, or part of your identity the feeling is linked to.

4. Label your emotions. Most people are overly vague in their interpretation of their emotions. A tuning to subtle nuances can provide important clues about how to learn from feelings and make you better equipped to deal with the situations that evoke them.

5. Ask people how they feel about things. The best way to build empathy and understanding is to intentionally inquire about people’s emotional responses to situations. In addition to making sure people cognitively understand what you communicate, you should also find out how they feel about it.

6. See the big picture. It is easier to cope with setbacks and create a positive work environment when you genuinely understand that there is more to life than what impacts you and your work.

7. Have fun. One of the simplest measures of EQ in leaders is how often they laugh. Learn to take yourself less seriously and try to find ways to make work more fun for those around you.

Contact me to learn how I can help you, or those you work with, become more Emotionally Intelligent so you can experience higher levels of performance and passion in your work.

www.aligned-development.com

By: Patrick Hopp, Ph.D.

i Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E., and McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the
power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
ii Goleman, D. (1995). Emotional intelligence. New York: Bantam.
iii Baron’s EQi
iv Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R.E., and McKee, A. (2002). Primal leadership: Realizing the
power of emotional intelligence. Boston, MA: Harvard Business School Press.
v Sala, F. (2003). Do programs designed to increase emotional intelligence at work-work? Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations. www.eiconsortium.org.