Behavioral EQ:  Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work Thursday January 26 -- 2:00 p.m. eastern, 11:00 a.m. pacific Register Now Emotional intelligence has been explored for nearly three decades, and organizations worldwide have implemented EQ programs with impressive productivity benefits. This webinar looks at several EQ initiatives and identifies the key factors for achieving success. The webinar will discuss: The business case for EQ EQ success studies The intersection of EQ and successful behavior Harnessing the power of EQ 3G

“EQ has moved from a new concept in the 1980s to a topic of interest among business leaders over the last 20 years,” said Casey Mulqueen, Ph.D., director of research & product development at TRACOM. “We’re now seeing the 3^rd generation of EQ efforts that focus on the specific behaviors that each person can practice to increase their EQ and positively impact their individual and organizational performance.” 

Dr. Mulqueen and other TRACOM executives will provide specific advice for people and businesses looking to increase EQ for near-term results including:

• How the behavioral aspects of EQ can quickly make a difference in the workplace
• How EQ initiatives have created improved managerial performance sales results and recruiting efforts
• How to apply Behavioral EQ to improve their own and their organization’s performance

All webinar participants will receive a copy of TRACOM’s Behavioral EQ Concepts Guide and the new whitepaper, "Putting Emotional Intelligence to Work."

Register Now

Emotional Intelligence (EQ for short) continues to be among the most popular topics with those responsible for improving individual and organizational performance. HR executives in particular are motivated by research showing that EQ programs have measurably improved sales productivity, recruiting efforts and managerial performance.    A new sales & EQ whitepaper from Strategic Learning takes a further look at emotional intelligence and sales. It proposes that the all-to-common shortfall between actual on-the-job performance and expected performance is significantly due to a lack of EQ skills.

And while EQ has been the subject of much debate and study, Strategic Learning’s whitepaper is an interesting look at common sales performance issues including four specific steps for developing EQ in the sales setting:

• Developing awareness of emotions “in the moment”
• Managing emotion and developing “emotional muscle” to enhance effectiveness
• Sensing and responding to non-verbal customer signals
• Integrating emotional awareness with authentic behavior

A free copy of the Developing Emotional Intelligence in Sales whitepaper is available as an immediate PDF download. More information about Strategic Learning is available at www.strategiclearning.com.

More Emotional Intelligence Resources

TRACOM offers a variety of other EQ resources including a description of the EQ Model first explored by Daniel Goleman, a summary of research on EQ’s workplace impact and a free, on-demand EQ webinar. Access these and other EQ tools now.

 SPIN Selling is Latest Focus of SOCIAL STYLE Connections Whitepaper Series

Some people say that selling is an art. But according to Neil Rackham, selling has more to do with following a process and having a good plan than it does with any inherent abilities. The SPIN Selling model was developed by Rackham based on extensive research he conducted on what differentiates successful from less successful salespeople. The model outlines a time-proven strategy that any salesperson can implement to become more effective.   SOCIAL STYLE has been used by sales professionals for decades to build rapport, deal with objections and ultimately improve sales results. Download the SPIN Selling whitepaper to see how SOCIAL STYLE supports and enhances SPIN Selling.

"SOCIAL STYLE and SPIN Selling" is the newest whitepaper in TRACOM's SOCIAL STYLE Connections Whitepaper Series.  These whitepapers look at how SOCIAL STYLE complements and supports other workplace performance programs.  Other titles in this series discuss Situational Leadership, the Five Dysfunctions of a Team, Crucial Conversations and Strengths Based Leadership.  Download other SOCIAL STYLE Connections whitepapers.

New research from Mercer shows that employee engagement among US workers is lower than five years ago and says that one in three workers are seriously considering leaving his or her organization.  Another 20 percent of survey respondents were described as "apathetic", not committing to staying or leaving and were considered the least satisfied of all. Mercer cites two factors in the declining engagement levels:  an evolving employment deal that employees have viewed as a series of takeaways; plus further actions taken in response to the economic downturn, such as cuts in pay, benefits, training, etc.  Mercer says that "from the employee viewpoint, not only has the deal been redefined, in many cases, the new deal is not being delivered as promised."

You can download the full Mercer research here.  This data started a discussion about what forward-thinking organizations are doing to improve employee engagement.  We decided to ask members of the TRACOM SOCIAL STYLE Group on LinkedIn for their thoughts on engagement.  Below are a selection of comments posted to the group along with links to the profiles of the contributor.

"Employees want to know that their personal vision is as important as their employer's vision, and they want to know that they matter. With the Millenial generation, the message must be clear, consistent and expressed frequently. To the extent employees feel in control of their priorities (able to keep up) and that their efforts are being recognized as critical to achieving corporate goals, they feel engaged. All too often the most important person in the organization to them (their manager) is too busy to win their engagement. Engagement needs to be a strategic initiative and a key performance indicator for leaders and managers at every level."
Posted by Bob Heavers

"Of course there are many factors creating low engagement today. The one I have focused on recently is the opportunity to grow and develop. I sincerely believe that if leaders put in place simple strategies for helping their team members to learn and to grow as a professional and individual, we could start bringing those poor engagement numbers down."
Posted by rita graziano

"I've read some literature on and seen/observed how the greatest learning comes from peers (vs. managers) -- so shadowing, shared road days, encouraging peer coaching and creating forums for sharing best practices - I believe, contribute to both high engagement and loyalty. (And particularly well-received by Expressives/Amiables.)"
Posted by David Marsi

Over the years I've talked to many people who aren't performing or aren't happy with their job. Helping them to be clear what they bring to their (ideal) role and what they want from it seems to get them back on track or gives them clarity that it's time to move on. The Style clues people give out are a great check for consistency and prompt questions if something seems to be missing."
Posted by Jim Wigg

What is your perspective on employee engagement?  Share your comments here on the TRACOM Performance Blog or join the TRACOM SOCIAL STYLE group on LinkedIn.   

Newest Whitepaper Looks at Five Dysfunctions of a Team

Much of the work performed in organizations today is done by teams. It’s hard to imagine not contributing to at least one team on any given day. Teams are critical to every organization’s success; they determine and set strategies, generate ideas for new products, and solve problems. Given their importance, why do so many people complain about their teams? If you ask Patrick Lencioni, it is because most teams are dysfunctional.  In his book, “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” Lencioni outlines five common pitfalls that prevent teams from achieving their full capabilities. Underlying each of these five dysfunctions is the failure to have an in-depth understanding of one another’s Style. According to Lencioni, “some of the most effective and lasting tools for building trust on a team are profiles of team members’ behavioral preferences and personality styles. These help break down barriers by allowing people to better understand and empathize with one another."

The SOCIAL STYLE Model provides an ideal platform that serves as a starting point for solving the Five Dysfunctions. SOCIAL STYLE and the application of behavioral Versatility offers a highly usable model of people’s behavioral preferences, strengths and weaknesses. It provides individuals feedback on interpersonal skills and realistic advice on how to contribute to teams. It leads to greater interpersonal awareness, understanding and more productive teams.

"SOCIAL STYLE and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" is the newest whitepaper in TRACOM's SOCIAL STYLE Connections Whitepaper Series.  These whitepapers look at how SOCIAL STYLE complements and supports other workplace performance programs.  They can be downloaded below.

SOCIAL STYLE and The Five Dysfunctions of a Team SOCIAL STYLE & Emotional Intelligence (EQ) SOCIAL STYLE & Crucial Conversations SOCIAL STYLE & Situational Leadership

In the new world of online social networking, it’s easy to feel liked. After all, with dozens or even hundreds of “friends” and followers, many people have finally achieved the popularity that was so elusive to them in high school. But online socializing is easy. What about the real thing – developing strong relationships with people that we interact with every day. Common sense, not to mention much research, shows that people with good friends and strong social ties are happier than people without these bonds. So what if we isolate this to the workplace? What are the benefits of having strong ties with co-workers? New research shows that if you’re a leader, there are important benefits to having good relationships with your bosses and peers.   In a study published in the Journal of Applied Psychology, researchers found that leaders with higher quality ties with their bosses and peers were more likely to be sought out by their peers for organization-related advice, and were perceived by their direct reports as having higher status in the organization. In addition, these leaders had more trusting and respectful relationships with their direct reports.

On the other side of the coin, what about the leaders who had weaker connections with their bosses and peers? Not surprisingly, they were perceived as having less status in the organization, and their relationships with their direct reports were weaker.

The study authors suggest that it would benefit organizations to support informal networking between leaders, their peers and their bosses. This would strengthen perceptions of leader status among employees, and would help leaders to have outlets for discussing issues and solving problems.

So the next time you have an opportunity to have lunch or coffee with that manager down the hall whose name you know, but that’s about all, you might want to do it. There is little to lose and possibly much to gain.

Click here to learn more about this study.

There has recently been much news coverage of House Majority Leader John Boehner’s emotional displays during interviews on 60 Minutes and also during various speeches. Some have been critical of the congressman while others have supported him. New research might shed some light on how emotional regulation relates to personal well-being.   Mr. Boehner is far from the only politician to display emotions in public. Former President George W. Bush and Vice President Joe Biden have both come to tears during public speeches, and most people felt that it was appropriate for the circumstances (post-September 11 attacks for President Bush, while VP Biden became tearful during a 2008 debate when discussing his upbringing). What seems to distinguish Mr. Boehner is the frequency with which he tears up, particularly during his interview on 60 Minutes.

In a previous blog we discussed some of the pitfalls of either showing too much emotion or not showing enough emotion. We quoted research showing that people may benefit from a judicious balance, taking into account the circumstances and the audience. New empirical research finds evidence that the ability to regulate emotion is associated with greater well-being, income, and socioeconomic status.

In two studies, researchers found that individuals who can best modify their emotional expression (either less or more) have higher well-being, disposable income, and socioeconomic status than individuals who are less skilled at managing their emotional expressiveness. In one study participants were measured on how well they could suppress their reactions to a loud startling noise. Those who suppressed their reactions were shown to be happiest with their lives. In the second experiment, participants viewed films of medical procedures that were meant to elicit disgust. In this case, those who amplified or expressed their feelings about the films were found to be happier, have more disposable income, and higher socioeconomic status than those who suppressed their emotions.

We should point out that a weakness of this research is that it’s correlational, and therefore causality cannot be established. In other words, it’s not known if regulating emotions leads to well-being, or if well-being leads to better ability at regulating emotions. What does seem clear is that experiencing strong emotion is part of what makes us human, and showing, or not showing, these emotions helps communicate our feelings and personal styles.

Click here to download a PDF of the research. 

In previous blogs we’ve talked about some of the benefits of high Versatility. Some of these include research-proven career advantages such as more effective performance and an increased chance of promotion. While these are compelling reasons to work on improving Versatility, let’s face it, most of us are creatures of habit and it’s hard to change our ways of doing things.   For example, how many of us climbed out of bed early in the morning on January 2 and jumped on a treadmill with better health aspirations for 2011? Less than two weeks later we find ourselves back on the couch watching reruns of Seinfeld. This might be because we expect to lose 20 pounds in two weeks, but meaningful change takes time, discipline, and sustained effort.   So a question we all face is, is it worth it to practice Versatility? This is purely an individual choice, of course. It all comes down to our own motivations, values, and beliefs about our behavior and how we want to relate to others.

But I want to point out some specific benefits of high Versatility and relate these to each Style. The career advantages mentioned before are nice, but they can seem ambiguous or maybe even out-of-reach for some people. It is the smaller benefits that, when added up over time, help people achieve those larger goals. I also want to be realistic about the natural challenges that each Style faces when working on Versatility, so those are discussed as well.

So scroll to your Style below and, who knows, maybe you’ll find that taking small Versatility steps is something you will maintain longer than your new year’s resolutions.

Driving Style

In order for Driving Style people to act in ways that lead to high Versatility, they have to diminish many of their natural tendencies. They want to dominate discussions, but they have to make sure to involve others. They want to control things, but they have to give up some of that control. They want to move quickly, but they have to slow down. Inevitably, all of these behaviors help them achieve their need for results, so it can be difficult for them to restrain these tendencies.

Acting with high Versatility has two primary benefits for these individuals. First, relationships with co-workers will be much stronger, and this in turn will have ongoing benefits. People will trust the individual and will be more willing to actively collaborate with him or her. Second, the person’s decisions and work effectiveness will be improved. This happens by considering other viewpoints and information, resulting in more informed decisions and higher quality work.

 Expressive Style

Expressive Style people like to be outgoing, which can sometimes come across as verbose and off-putting to others. They create problems for themselves by failing to apply their Style “brakes.” Remember that their growth action is to check their behavior. They want to be outgoing and fun, but they need to understand that not everyone responds well to these behaviors, so they have to restrain these tendencies. They want to be spontaneous and funny, but they need to realize that humor is not always appropriate or appreciated. They want to be the center of attention, but they need to allow other people to have the spotlight sometimes.

As with all Styles, acting with high Versatility will benefit these people by improving their working relationships and personal effectiveness. Relationships will be improved because others will be able to interact with them without feeling overwhelmed. Instead of constantly walking on pins, wondering when the Expressive person is going to go on the attack, others can interact with the person without being overly cautious or fearful of retribution. Their personal effectiveness will improve because others will see substance behind the dramatic displays. Instead of relying solely on their ability to network with others, they will garner recognition through their skills and competence.

Amiable Style

Their focus on maintaining friendly relationships is often what keeps Amiable Style people from behaving in ways that lead to higher Versatility. They want to get along well with everyone, but they need to realize that professional disagreements are acceptable and are not taken personally by most people. They may prefer to maintain the status quo, but sometimes change is necessary, and it is better to have some influence on the matter than to go along unwillingly. They want to be helpful to others, but there are times when this is not possible. Taking these actions is difficult because they are contrary to these individuals’ fundamental behaviors.

High Versatility is beneficial for relationships and overall effectiveness. Relationships can be improved because people will actually have greater trust in the Amiable Style person. If Amiable Style people are forthright in their opinions, others will be clear about where they stand and will have a better understanding of how to approach and interact with them. Likewise, their personal effectiveness will increase for many of the same reasons. By appropriately asserting themselves, they will have greater influence within the team or organization. Inevitably this can increase not only their effectiveness, but also their own personal satisfaction.

Analytical Style

In order to act in ways that lead to high Versatility, Analytical Style people have to temper their need to be right. They want to act cautiously and slowly, but they need to take more risks and be quicker to act. They want to take a methodical approach to problems and tasks, but they sometimes need to be less systematic. They prefer to stay in the background, but they need to be more upfront in stating their opinions. These behaviors are outside of these individuals’ comfort zones, and this is why it can be difficult for them to act in ways that lead to high Versatility.

The benefits of behaving with high Versatility are improved relationships and greater effectiveness. These individuals can improve their relationships by allowing others to interact with them on a more personal level. By showing the more human side of themselves, others will feel closer to them and have a greater understanding of their needs. This can lead to the many benefits of trusting relationships, both personal and professional. These individuals can increase their personal effectiveness because using more directive behaviors provides others with information they need, and also opens up resources that can help Analytical Style people succeed in their jobs. For example, by providing their input directly and making quicker decisions, work can be accomplished more efficiently. This is particularly true if the person involves other people in the process, instead of trying to do things alone. 

Do you ever wonder why Donald Trump seems so heartless and severe when giving “feedback” to people on The Apprentice? Sure, some of it is contrived for the TV audience, but it could be that he truly doesn’t have the ability to empathize with his poor underlings.   New research just published in Psychological Science has found evidence that people from higher-class backgrounds have lower emotional intelligence than people from lower-class backgrounds. Through a series of experiments researchers discovered that people who are less well-off were better able to read the emotions that others are feeling and scored higher on a test of empathic accuracy.

A sample of more than 300 upper- and lower-class people was asked to interpret the emotions of people in photos and of strangers during mock job interviews. In both cases, those with more education, money and self-defined social status were significantly less able to determine if a person was angry, happy, anxious or upset as their lower-class colleagues.

It makes me wonder if richer people have lower Versatility than the rest of us. Unfortunately we don’t collect this type of data so I can’t answer the question. Besides, converting the euro, yen, pound, dollar, rupee, franc, rand, and peso into a common metric is more hassle than it’s worth!

Read an MSNBC story on this topic. 

Download the Psychological Science article.

Learn more about Emotional Intelligence.

Email communications represent a big opportunity for confusion and miscommunication.  One study found recipients only correctly interpret emails about 50% of the time. This often leads to misunderstandings, ill will, and the disintegration of trust and connectedness – all of which, if not managed or mitigated, negatively impact relationships and ultimately erode productivity. Dr. Fairlie Firari has conducted her own research and found that SOCIAL STYLE concepts can be applied to both identify Style-related email problems and improve electronic interactions.

For this study, the content of more than 300 business emails submitted by 32 managers from a variety of organizations was analyzed. Using the TRACOM SOCIAL STYLE Profile for validation, Dr. Firari was able to accurately determine the Styles of the majority of participants. Importantly, this was not based on personal judgment; instead people's Styles were determined entirely by a computer program designed to analyze Style attributes.

Click here to read Dr. Firari’s description of her findings and suggestions for improving your own email communication