| You must have heard of emotionally intelligent | | | | workshops. You don't want to send firemen |
| leaders but not emotionally intelligent businesses. | | | | where there's no fire. Training will not be effective |
| Believe it or not, these organizations exist. The | | | | if its purpose does not match your requirements |
| question is, how do they do it? If you go to | | | | or goals, so start off by knowing your employees. |
| Google and key in the words "emotional | | | | In a national insurance company, insurance sales |
| intelligence and business", you will find pages of | | | | agents who were weak in emotional |
| articles, research materials, and books about | | | | competencies such as self-confidence, initiative, |
| emotional intelligence and how it affects a | | | | and empathy sold policies with an average |
| business. There are so many best practices being | | | | premium of $54,000. Those who were very |
| shared not only in books but on the internet as | | | | strong in at least 5 of the 8 key emotional |
| well. While there's no magic bullet that could | | | | competencies sold policies worth $114,000 (Hay |
| ensure the success of a business based on | | | | McBer Research and Innovation Group, 1997). By |
| emotional intelligence alone, here are seven | | | | looking at the differences between the |
| business practices that could actually leverage | | | | performers and the non-performers, it is easier to |
| results for you and your business: | | | | identify who needs to be trained on what to |
| 1. Goal Setting - This is actually one of the most | | | | increase their productivity. |
| common yet unnoticed ways of showing | | | | 5. Training the employees - Having emotionally |
| emotional intelligence. Why? It's because goal | | | | intelligent leaders can impact your business. |
| setting involves people and their feelings. If your | | | | Financial advisors at American Express whose |
| goal is to ensure that your customers are | | | | managers completed the Emotional Competence |
| satisfied at all times, then you need to understand | | | | training program were compared to an equal |
| the feelings, thoughts, and rationale of a happy | | | | number whose managers had not. During the year |
| customer. What makes a happy customer? Then, | | | | following training, the advisors of trained managers |
| you set similar goals to your employees, get their | | | | grew their businesses by 18.1% compared to |
| feedback about it and track their performance. | | | | 16.2% for those whose managers were untrained. |
| 2. Selecting the right people - One of the | | | | Trainings not only impact the leaders and their |
| effective ways to ensure the success of a | | | | direct reports but your bottomline as well, so |
| business is by selecting the right person to do the | | | | consider it as an investment. |
| job. A good way of selecting employees is by | | | | 6. Providing emotional support - Studies show that |
| looking at what is required in the job versus the | | | | negative emotions like fear, anxiety, anger, and |
| emotional competencies of the candidate. For | | | | stress reduce the functioning of the immune |
| example, if you need somebody to answer phone | | | | system and increase blood pressure. These also |
| calls of irate customers, then you need someone | | | | often result to increased chances of heart |
| who can handle stress and manage conflict | | | | attacks, prolonged recovery times, migraines, and |
| effectively. At L'Oreal, sales agents who were | | | | increased risk of cancer. When these things |
| selected based on certain emotional competencies | | | | happen to your employees, there's a higher |
| has sold $91,370 more than other sales people | | | | probability of low productivity, high absenteeism |
| did, for a net revenue of $2,558,360. Moreover, | | | | rate, and even worse, employee turnover. By |
| those who were selected had 63% fewer | | | | providing emotional support, businesses will benefit |
| turnovers during the first year than those | | | | on long-term reduction of health costs of |
| selected in the typical way (Spencer & | | | | employees and increase employee retention. |
| Spencer, 1993; Spencer, McClelland, & Kelner, | | | | 7. Creating a corporate culture that values EI - By |
| 1997). | | | | creating an environment that makes employees |
| 3. Selecting the right recruiter - Aside from | | | | feel safe, trusted, needed, and appreciated, the |
| choosing the right employee, another way of | | | | workplace becomes more humane and productive. |
| doing it is by selecting the right recruiter. This is | | | | It also helps if managers and supervisors can |
| what the US Air Force did that helped them save | | | | handle conflict effectively and provide coaching |
| $3 million annually. The US Air Force used the EQ-i | | | | and feedback to their direct reports in a timely |
| or the Reuven Bar-On's Emotional Quotient | | | | manner. These strategies can help reduce |
| inventory, a 133-item self-assessment test to | | | | employee turnover and increase the productivity |
| measure skills in five different scales: intrapersonal, | | | | of employees leading to happy and loyal |
| interpersonal, adaptability, stress management, | | | | customers. |
| and general mood. It was found that the most | | | | Each business has unique challenges and |
| successful recruiters scored significantly higher in | | | | requirements. One strategy may be effective in |
| EI competencies of Assertiveness, Empathy, | | | | one company but not in another. Therefore, it is |
| Happiness, and Emotional Self-Awareness. Because | | | | very important to identify your business needs. |
| of the success of this method, the Secretary of | | | | Once the need is identified, it is easier to adapt |
| Defense ordered all branches of the armed | | | | the best practices shared by the companies |
| forces to adopt this procedure in recruitment and | | | | mentioned above. Also, you do not have to limit |
| selection (Military Recruiting: The Department of | | | | yourself to these seven techniques. It is |
| Defense Could Improve Its Recruiter Selection | | | | recommended that you consult an expert to |
| and Incentive Systems, 1998). | | | | maximize the use and benefits of having an |
| 4. Identifying your needs - This is a must before | | | | emotionally intelligent business. |
| sending any of your employees to EI trainings or | | | | |
