Developing emotional intelligence and interpersonal effectiveness

EQ – The Key to Effective Change & Success: Regardless of where we live in the world, there are three forces that we can not escape: globalisation, the information revolution and the speed of change. To survive and thrive in an environment characterised by increased global competition; ongoing development; relentless drive for greater cost-effectiveness; and increased competitiveness in the workplace, organisations need to implement changes in strategy, structure, process and culture to ensure continued performance and to maintain the competitive advantage.

EQ: The Key to Effective Change: Change impacts not only systems and processes, but also the people within the environment of the organisation: how the individuals behave, what they think, how they interact with their fellow team members, their perceptions and their responses to change. The key to effective change and ongoing success is having emotionally intelligent team members.

What’s it all about? Emotional Intelligence has become a buzz-word over the past 10 years, but there are some misconceptions about it. Does the development of emotional intelligence enable us to manage ourselves and our relationships with others so that we truly live our intentions? Does it refer to the array of personal-management and social skills that allows one to succeed in the workplace and in life in general? Is emotional intelligence a meta-ability determining how well we can use whatever other skills we have or is it simply involved in the capacity to perceive emotions, assimilate emotion-related feelings, understand those emotions and manage them?

To prevent any misconceptions, emotional intelligence can be described as:

· The ability to perceive, recognise, understand and respond to one's own feelings and the feelings of others

· The ability to regulate and express feelings appropriately, to listen actively and empathetically and to communicate effectively

· To act purposefully and to respond to and manage situations and experiences effectively

Formula for Success: Emotional intelligence is made up of skills and qualities, including: intrapersonal, interpersonal, stress-management, adaptability, general mood, optimism and happiness. When these qualities are high (100+ on BarOn EQi), they characterise the people who excel, whose relationships flourish and who are stars in the workplace. Individuals with higher emotional clarity and the ability to translate this into action and interaction, experience fewer negative emotional responses and are able to adapt more readily to experiences. These people strive towards optimal development and growth, both personally and professionally.

Why is EQ @ Work so important in the workplace? Daniel Goleman’s research (2001) into the importance of the EQ factor shows that while IQ and cognitive skills are important determinants of success in the workplace, "emotional intelligence proved to be twice as important as IQ for jobs at all levels".

Workwise has extensive experience in assisting people at all levels of organisations to get in touch with their inner world of emotions and reactions and to enable them to channel these into appropriate and constructive actions and responses.

Call Workwise now for information about EQ @ Work, a dynamic training module that enables people to develop their emotional intelligence and interpersonal effectiveness. Participants will develop self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy and assertive interpersonal skills and techniques to achieve success in their work and personal lives.

For more information please visit our website at www.workwise.co.za or call Jianele Gabriel on (011) 476-7550 to set up an appointment to discuss your organisation’s specific needs and requirements.