Author: Dr. Karina de Bruin, Managing Director of JvR Academy, a JvR Africa Group company When going to work, one does not necessarily consider the emotional aspect of it, which in reality plays a significant role in your productivity and success. We are after all emotionally driven creatures, whether we want to be or not. This is where the term Emotional Intelligence comes in. It’s the ability to recognise specific emotions in oneself and others, acknowledge their effect on one’s goals and relationships, and either minimise negative effects or actively elicit emotions more appropriate to the situation. With Emotional Intelligence as a tool in hand, you can find much more effective ways of dealing with challenges at work and get your work done as efficiently as possible. There is a lot that companies can do to foster Emotional Intelligence (or EQ as called by its metric) among employees, one of which is to make it part of their corporate culture. When companies make the language of Emotional Intelligence part of the everyday work experience, they create an environment in which employees naturally embrace and start living the concept. This can lead to lasting results and a bigger payoff in increased productivity. Internationally, and locally, Emotional Intelligence has gained popularity in business over the last few decades. Research conducted by the JvR Africa Group has shown that, when comparing professionals in South Africa to their U.S. counterparts, the South Africans generally report higher levels of EQ on most of the sub-components of the EQi2.0, which is internationally widely used to assess Emotional Intelligence. However, these differences are relatively small and not really meaningful. But what is it that increased EQ can do for a company? Benefits Success on employee and business level hinges on effective personal performance and favourable relationships with customers, suppliers, colleagues, subordinates and stakeholders. There are many examples where Emotional Intelligence can have a positive effect, but warns that it must be considered in conjunction with factors like motivation, education and experience. Many companies already use psychological assessments in their recruitment and selection process. To obtain a more comprehensive picture, the assessment of Emotional Intelligence should be included, as it can distinguish between an employee who only just copes and one who excels. Such assessments also ensure that high EQ employees are hired from the start, reducing the cost of development interventions later. Productivity usually suffers when employees face aspects of their work they don’t enjoy or people with whom they disagree. Emotional Intelligence provides the tools they need to become more productive, cope better with work stress, resolve differences and work effectively in teams. A high EQ is therefore vital for executive positions, where good stress management, excellent problem-solving and sound decision-making are expected. By nature, leaders often seek to enhance their performance, and exposure to Emotional Intelligence development opportunities can help them achieve their goals in a sustainable way. Improving EQ Emotional Intelligence relates to a broad spectrum of soft skills so companies should first establish where improvements are required. Professionally administered self-report assessments, completed by employees, will highlight areas of concern and provide a guide for coaching and/or skills development. With this self-information, employers can plot the best course for EQ improvements in their workforce. Emotional Intelligence can then be increased through appropriate employee development that focuses on practical capabilities that deliver immediate results. Programmes can be customised to address the specific competencies required. They are typically offered as workshops stretching over one or more days and delivered as face-to-face sessions with an experienced facilitator. Ultimately, if companies can truly appreciate the fact that their employees are emotional beings, they can find effective ways of managing this aspect so that it can be the x-factor that sets the organisation apart from its competition, instead of hampering its growth and success. ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With it’s head office is situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and academic institutions all over the world and supports a range of development opportunities and hosts events around People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group
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Author: Dr Jopie de Beer, CEO of JvR Africa Group People in leadership positions often behave badly, which may be the reason why up to 75% of employees internationally report that their manager/leader is the worst part of their job. In fact, all over the world trust in leadership is also reported as being at an all-time low. Bad leaders often create circumstances where everyone around them "drink from the poison cup" to experience turmoil, risk, fragmentation and despair. In circumstances like these it becomes exceptionally important to use ways of strengthening our own- and other's resilience and to jealously guard our personal experience of wellbeing or happiness. This is why it is important to put forward that leadership is much more than "being in charge", those occupying such positions have the responsibility to create an environment where people want to live, work and play, where they feel that they contribute and where they are treated with respect. In addition, it is crucial that relationships in the workplace be managed in such a way that the necessary discipline including trust, respect, loyalty and hope co- exists. From within Each person’s experience of wellbeing (happiness) is impacted on by our hard wiring and mental habits. Happiness or the lack there-of comes from within ourselves and the way we think can drive us to despair and helplessness or to positive problem solving. With regard to our resilience our personal thinking habits may make life intolerable or filled with opportunities. We know those with a lighter mood find interpersonal relationships easier and tend to be generally more resilient. Without underestimating the harsh realities people live in and how it could impact on their sense of wellbeing and happiness. We should all consider using our well-known South African sense of humor as often as possible. Let's laugh at ourselves and those we live with. Such laughter has very valuable physiological and emotional benefit but it also has an invaluable social benefit when we are able to laugh together. The belief of being helpless and/or the victim of circumstances and blaming others have no value in building your resilience or sense of well-being- particularly if used as an excuse for poor behaviour or non-action. By re-framing experiences to highlight opportunities rather than catastrophes will already make life easier for all. Try to see events as a "blip on the graph" that will pass and if a situation is not of your doing stop blaming yourself for it. Celebrate the fact that there are many more good than bad people in our country and how much we enjoy living and shopping together. Don’t just survive, thrive There are, of course, many types of happiness or wellbeing. It is much more complex than it seems. For some, happiness may come from everyday possessions and experiences, but even more sustainable happiness comes from finding satisfaction in what you do every day and making sure that there is meaning and purpose of your life. Well-being /happiness may at first seem to be related to survival but also has much to do with being able to thrive. In a country where the unemployment levels are higher than ever before, where poverty and poor education are regularly reported in the media, where political murders are taking place and crime seems to be out of control, it is not difficult to understand that it affects the mood and resilience of the citizens. Maslow's theory illustrates that it is very difficult for people to have a sense of wellbeing if their basic needs for survival, safety, security and belonging are not met. These are prerequisites for being proud and self-actualised. Although there are circumstance or realities ordinary citizens cannot do much about, we are however empowered to work on our own beliefs and habits in seeking well-being and happiness even in chaotic contexts. Bad leaders have a limited shelf-life and should they do not survive - let’s make sure we do! ENDS MEDIA CONTACT: Idéle Prinsloo, 082 573 9219, idele@thatpoint.co.za, www.atthatpoint.co.za ABOUT JvR Africa Group: JvR Africa Group of companies consists of JvR Psychometrics, JvR Consulting Psychologists, JvR Academy, and JvR Safety. With its head office situated in Johannesburg; the group conducts business nationally and across Sub-Saharan Africa. They work with test developers, consultants and research institutions all over the world. They support a range of development opportunities and hosts a biannual conference on People Development in Africa, a cause they feel is extremely important to the future of our continent. For more information on JvR Africa Group please visit: Website: https://jvrafricagroup.co.za/ LinkedIn: JvR Africa Group Facebook: The JvR Africa Group - People Development in Africa Twitter: JvR Africa Group YouTube: The JvR Africa Group |
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