In the business world the characteristics necessary for growth and promotion within an organisation don’t only bear on an individual’s professional abilities but also rely heavily on social interaction. Growing up in a society where education and higher learning was stressed upon significantly, led many to believe that in order to live a comfortable life, the attainment of higher education was the order of the day. Education and relevant experience are definite precursors to the successful attainment of gainful employment. The aforementioned, however, without concern for social interaction and emotional intelligence may be detrimental to one’s advancement within an organisation or becoming a successful leader.
A LOOK INTO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE
A LOOK INTO EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCEEmotional intelligence is the ability to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. The steps to understanding emotions involve accurately assessing the emotions then using them to promote thinking and development. This requires understanding non-verbal communication, such as body language and facial expressions.
Emotions help prioritise what we pay attention and react to but the emotions that we perceive from others can carry a wide variety of meanings. When someone is expressing an emotion, like anger, the observer must consider the cause. For example, if your boss is acting angrily, it could be because he or she got a parking ticket right before your meeting or that your boss has been arguing with their spouse. The anger may not necessarily be a reaction to their dissatisfaction with your work, even though your boss expresses anger when interacting with you.
That is why regulating emotions, responding appropriately and responding to the emotions of others are important aspects of emotional management for all staff for healthy social interaction.
THE ART OF THE CRTIQUE
The concept of emotional intelligence has many meaningful applications; one such application relates to the proper communication of feedback and criticism. Consider this example. A seasoned engineer heading a software development project was scheduled to make a presentation to the Product Development Director. The team led by the engineer had worked long days, supported each other and were proud to make the presentation on the fruit of their labour.
As the engineer finished his presentation on months of work, the Product Development Director turned to him and asked sarcastically, “How long have you been out of graduate school? These specifications are ridiculous. They have no chance of getting passed my desk.”
The engineer, utterly embarrassed and deflated, sat glumly through the rest of the meeting, reduced to silence.
For the next few weeks the engineer was obsessed with the remarks made by Product Development Director. Dispirited, depressed and convinced that he would never get another assignment of importance at the company; he considered leaving, despite enjoying his work there. Finally the engineer went to speak to the Product Development Director; reminding him of the meeting, the critical remarks, and pointing out their demoralising effects.
The Product Development Director was astonished; he had no idea that his remarks, meant as a throwaway line, had been so devastating to the engineer. In fact, the Product Development Director thought that the software plan was promising, but needed more work; he hadn’t meant to dismiss it as utterly worthless.
IN CONCLUSION
In a company, everyone is part of the system, and feedback is the lifeblood of the organisation. The exchange of information lets people know if the job they are doing is going well, needs to be fine-tuned, upgraded or redirected entirely. Without feedback from superiors, subordinates are in the dark; they have no idea how they stand with their boss or peers in terms of what is expected of them, and any problems will only get worse as time passes.
In essence, criticism is one of the most important tasks of a manager yet it is most dreaded by the ones receiving it. Like the sarcastic Product Development Director, too many managers have not mastered the crucial art of providing feedback. This deficiency costs any company greatly. Indeed, the way in which criticisms are given and received go a long way in determining productivity, how satisfied people are with their work and how well employees work together.
