Why an Emotional Intelligence Appraisal?

Resistance to change in the workplace (and in one’s personal life) is a reflex emotional response to disruption, rather than a rational response. By taking an emotional intelligence assessment, a leader will become more aware of how he or she responds to change and will be better able to make choices when managing change. Skill and  knowledge in emotional intelligence equipped to managers pull together a plan to manage change effectively in their organizations.  This results in leaders who communicate effectively with their employees and create motivation for change.

What is emotional intelligence?

An emotional intelligence assessment will identify the skills required to control and manage one’s own emotions as well as those of others. These are essential skills in the leader’s toolbox, and will increase the ability of anyone to more ably adjust to change whether that change is professional or personal.

Emotional intelligence includes:

• Self-awareness: understanding how you respond to certain situations
• Self-regulation: understanding that how you respond can be managed, and that the actions you take become a choice rather than a reflex
• Social awareness: recognizing and understanding how others feel, what response is likely in any given situation and being able to empathize
• Relationship management: the ability to communicate effectively with others and express emotions rationally

An emotional intelligence assessment will identify 15 competencies that support all the above skills, in much the same way as an IQ test measures intellectual intelligence. In fact, emotional intelligence is often referred to as ‘EQ’ for this reason.

The ability to manage personal response to change is essential to manage resistance and lead change effectively.  Fortunately, these essential leadership skills can be learned.

Emotional intelligence assessment as a tool to jumpstart change

Change will disrupt the status quo, requiring a move out of personal comfort zones. In the workplace, people may have been doing something a certain way for years. Changing this routine is often seen as threatening, with the reflex response being resistance to the change. A manager who is proficient in emotional intelligence will be better able to lead others through a period of change. He or she will be better equipped to:

• Empathize and Communicate effectively
• Develop emotional maturity and manage the stress change creates.
• Manage relationships with employees and between colleagues
• Help others to manage their emotional responses
• Manage resistance to change

The emotionally intelligent leader will better support managers, team leaders, and employees, and be more able to craft change in the workplace. The manager who is equipped with a high level of EQ will manage personal change effectively. These skills can then be transferred to jumpstart change professionally.

Psychologist Daniel Goleman authored an exceptional book simply called Emotional Intelligence – Why it can Matter more than IQ in 1995 which is superb reading for all, and will help businesses and leaders as they strive to manage change in the workplace and benefit from the emotional intelligence appraisal.

Smart people (those with a high IQ) get hired. The people who are able to lead – those with a high EQ – get promoted. Contact Primeast to discover how to shape your smart people into leaders.