Emotional Intelligence 101: Taming the Beast Within!

Benefits of Emotional Intelligence (2)

"Does emotional intelligence help boost sales, improve customer satisfaction, reduce turnover, increase safety, and enhance productivity?"

by Joshua Freedman, EQ Teacher, extraordinaire!

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Sales

When I ask sales people in all kinds of businesses for the key to their effectiveness, the first answer is "relationships." So if emotional intelligence is essential to building good relationships, and good relationships are essential to sales, it's no wonder that high EQ is a powerful force in improving sales. When the US Airforce selected recruiters (who are essentially salespeople) based on high EQ, they saved $2.7 million in a year (Richard Handley, 1999). Likewise, when L'Oreal used EQ to select sales agents, they gained over $2.5 million (Spencer, McClelland, & Kelner, 1997).

Customer Satisfaction

There's no question that a quality product is a powerful way to keep customers satisfied -- but it's not enough. In fact, most customers leave vendors for emotional reasons -- they don't like how they are treated or they don't have a good relationship with the vendor. The Forum Corporation on Manufacturing and Service Companies found that 70% of the reasons for losing customers and clients are EQ-related (1989 - 1995).

Turnover

In the same study at L'Oreal cited above, the "EQ Sales Agents" had 63% less turnover during the first year. In the same vein, 75% of careers are derailed for reasons related to emotional competencies, including inability to handle interpersonal problems; unsatisfactory team leadership during times of difficulty or conflict; or inability to adapt to change or elicit trust (The Center for Creative Leadership, 1994).

Safety

After supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies, lost-time accidents were reduced by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from an average of 15 per year to 3 per year, and the plant exceeded productivity goals by $250,000 (Pesuric & Byham, 1996).

Productivity

Optimism is one of the fundamental skills in our EQ model. Optimists are more motivated, more successful, have higher levels of achievement, plus significantly better physical and mental health (Seligman, 1991). Trust is another outcome of relationships between people practicing their emotional intelligence skills -- and 50% of time wasted in business is due to lack of trust (John O. Whitney, Director, Deming Center for Quality Management).

The Cardinal Rules of Natural Therapy

• Respect yourself.
• Face the truth, even if it hurts.
• Identify your feelings.
• Express them to the person who inspired them.
• Be Prompt.  Don't wait for ideal conditions.
• Be Simple.  Long explanations are unnecessary.
• If the other person hears you, you have succeeded.
• If he refuses to hear, understand to whom you're dealing with.
• Be willing to accept the situation as it is.
• Let go of your hurt and forgive.
• Move on.

Viscott M.D., D. Emotional Resilience. 1996. Random House, New York.

It's Official...

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EQ > IQ  !!

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Contentment

"The world is full of people looking for spectacular happiness while they snub contentment."

- Doug Larson

right on!  Contentment is a Wonderful thing!  It seems like it takes older age to appreciate the true value in Contentment, to know that it can be the worthiest of goals.

• It doesn't always have to be Exciting... it's great just being Cool.
• It doesn't always have to be Dramatic... it can be Nice.
• It doesn't always have to be Passionate... it can just be softly Loving and Intimate.

Learn to enjoy the little things.

Let Go, Let God

"When we know that love matters more than anything, and we know that nothing else REALLY matters, we move into the state of surrender. Surrender does not diminish our power, it enhances it."

- Sara Paddison

... and, some of the bravest acts I've ever witnessed were those of total Surrender.

It takes incredible Emotional Strength (high EQ) to truly and completely LET GO of old pains, resentments and abuses.  But it can be done!  Learn to LET GO quickly, and completely (although maybe not painlessly).  You may have to CRY them out and/or YELL them out, but it's well worth the short-lived pain for long-term gain. 

surrender.  let go of your pain.  then Move on.  remember, you are the only one holding on to the pain.  Let it go.
- Matt

Emotional Intelligence Defined

emotional intelligence n. Intelligence regarding the emotions, especially in the ability to monitor one's own or others' emotions.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition copyright ©2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2003.

Purpose Brings Joy

"There is no more important step you can take than to define your life's purpose. It develops your sense of belonging to our universe."

-- Arnold Patent

We ALL need some sense of belonging... with each other, with ourselves, with the earth.  Who are you and what do you bring to the world?

So, what's YOUR purpose?

Answer this question, and it could change your life experience considerably!

Personal Responsibility is a Key

"It doesn't matter how you come to it...just that you do: Finally recognize that no one is responsible for your life but you."

- Oprah Winfrey

If you blame, whine, complain and otherwise victimize yourself, you are giving your power away.  Take control of your own life by taking full responsibility for who you are, what you think and feel, and especially, what you do.

We all have choices, often more than we first think we have.  Choose to be powerful, not a victim of the world.

To do this, you will need to have access to all your feelings -- anger, fear, courage, sadness, joy and personal power.  Use them wisely.

- Matt