EI Defined
Frequently Asked Questions About EI
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotions play a large role in how we think and behave, they influence our thoughts and the decisions we make. For example, if we feel negatively about something or someone, then we tend to appraise an event as such and respond accordingly. Emotions also play a large role in our outward displays and behaviours. For example, our emotions help to define our tone of voice, our body language and facial expressions.
Because our emotions influence us in these ways, they play a large role in how we think, communicate, and behave. When applied to the workplace, emotional intelligence involves thinking intelligently about our emotions at work and how they influence our decisions, outward displays, and behaviours in the workplace. More specifically:
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is best defined as the capacity to perceive, express, understand, and manage one's own and others' emotions in an appropriate, professional, and effective manner at work.
How does EI fit into the workplace?
Numerous research studies conducted by Swinburne University (and many others) have shown that emotional intelligence is related to many contemporary workplace variables such as leadership and teamwork effectiveness, sales performance, customer service skills, job satisfaction, occupational stress, interpersonal effectiveness and absenteeism.
To sustain future successes, leaders require increasingly fine-tuned people skills rather than just technical expertise. To do this, we need to have a better understanding of people, not just what they do, but the thoughts and feelings which generate their actions. This understanding is directly related to emotional intelligence. As such, improvements in EI will assist you as a leader to meet these increasingly challenging management demands.
What Can EI Do To Create An Effective Workplace?
Starting with the Genos 360 EI assessments, we acquire accurate data about the current status of behaviors and relationships in your management teams. Based on that data, we design a leadership skill development program specific to your goals and objectives, and customized for each individual in your team. We then deliver a comprehensive executive coaching program that will help everyone adjust their behaviors to achieve higher EI company wide.
After the EI coaching program is complete (about 3 to 4 months), we then apply the Genos 360 EI assessment again, using the same rater population as in the initial assessment. This gives us measurability and accountability in determining the effectiveness of the program, what worked well, and where additional development would be useful.
What does a High EI Workplace look like?
There are six key words that describe the high EI workplace: trust, respect, authenticity, appropriate, professional and effective.
As a result, the high EI workplace is one in which people enjoy a comfortable work environment, embrace the company's values, cooperate willingly, skillfully resolve conflicts and adapt to change with minimal disruption in productivity.
"Trust and respect are at the core of all effective relationships. EI coaching and training create the context for building trust and respect, and that creates the context for new conversations in the workplace."
Carmine Leo
Contact us with your questions and find out if our EI Program would be right for your company.