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Careers
Emotional
rescue
Having the technical skills may get you started,
but knowing yourself gets you ahead
By Ryan Swift
D
efence-industry contractors
aren’t known for emotional
sensitivity. But when a British
shipbuilder recently found itself behind
schedule and over budget on a naval
submarine project, it brought in a team
of psychologists to improve management
effectiveness. This shows that even the
most hard-headed firms are trying
to get in touch with their softer,
emotional side to improve performance,
particularly at the executive level. The
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June 2007
shipbuilder now has a psychologist
present at every board meeting.
The story has a potent message for
accountants: Like engineers, they must
focus on mastering highly technical
skills in the early years of a career.
Such unrelenting focus may not serve
them well in executive positions. Your
intelligence quotient may get you hired,
but your emotional intelligence quotient
(EQ) is what gets you promoted.
The term EQ was popularized
in the 1990s with the publication of
Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional
Intelligence. It refers to the ability to
understand and manage one’s own
emotions and that of others. The
concept has since taken root in global
corporations, with a particularly acute
need in businesses that tend to value
technical skills more such as finance,
accountancy or information technology,
says Sebastien Henry, a trainer and
coach with Progress U, a human
resources firm.
Henry says large companies retain
his firm to either assess managers’
ability to assume top management
positions or give training to them. “In a
typical case, interpersonal skills, which
are usually derived from emotional
intelligence, become the sticking point
between a technically competent person
and a promotion – top executives want
to be sure they can rely on someone to
handle the job,” he says.
Improving EQ
How do you know if you have an
EQ that will take you the distance?
Self-understanding is essential, says
Cecilia Chung, a psychologist at
the University of Hong Kong who
specializes in social behaviour.
Chung says people with low
emotional intelligence may exhibit a
wide range of behaviours and feelings.
They may feel they are not being
properly rewarded, or let anger or
frustration dominate their thoughts for
a long time. They may also go through
what Henry calls “the emotional roller
coaster ride.”
One of the more accurate means of
employee appraisal is the 360-degree
assessment, which requires one’s
subordinates, superiors and colleagues
to analyze a person. Henry says many
companies are now using 360-degree
assessments specifically for EQ. This
can be time-consuming, expensive and
cause friction if employees are working
in an emotionally charged environment.
To improve one’s EQ, Granville
D’Souza of Six Seconds, an EQtraining firm, suggests people need to
recognize unconscious, unhelpful habits
that stem from emotional instability
or a lack of self-understanding. Always
ask what habits are damaging and
how doing something differently can
improve work and life.
Secondly, people should avoid
yielding to impulses and pause before
reacting emotionally in a stressful
situation. The third step is to develop
emotional literacy. D’Souza says people
should practise observing their moods
and feelings in tough circumstances to
better understand how they react to stress.
Henry says free association writing
about feelings and moods is a helpful
exercise and keeping a daily journal
can be useful. In his training sessions,
Henry will set specific tasks for clients to
fulfil. “Our clients are responsible for 80
percent of their own progress,” he says.
The development of EQ in Asia
The trend of more women entering the
Interpersonal skills, which are
usually derived from emotional
intelligence, become the sticking point
between a technically competent
person and a promotion.
accountancy profession in Hong Kong
may change the EQ complexion of local
accounting firms. “Women tend to be
better at this than men, because they’ve
had to deal with it more from an earlier
age than boys,” Henry says.
But managers should also avoid
trying to act too much like the opposite
sex, he says. “The goal is to achieve
some integration and balance,” he says.
More Asian firms are now offering
courses to improve employees’ soft skills,
but management often fail to look at
employees’ underlying emotional issues,
says D’Souza of Six Seconds. “Courses
that cover such topics as listening skills,
leadership skills and the like fail to
address individual patterns, habits, and
how people process their feelings.”
With a growing awareness of the
subject, it seems only a matter of time
before all major firms take EQ into
account. The consensus from trainers
and psychologists is clear: Before you
reach the top, you’ll need to take a long
look in the mirror.
June 2007
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