BSBLDR501 eBook

BSBLDR501

Develop and use

emotional

intelligence

eBook

BSBLDR501 Develop and use emotional intelligence

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Table of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................. 3

Emotional intelligence in todays workplace .................................................... 3

1 Identify the impact of own emotions on others in the workplace ..................... 4

1.1 Identify own emotional strengths and weaknesses .................................. 4

1.2 Identify personal stressors and own emotional states related to the

workplace .................................................................................................. 7

1.2.1 Emotional states caused by work related stressors ............................ 8

1.3 Develop awareness of own emotional triggers and use this awareness to

enable control emotional responses ............................................................... 9

1.4 Model workplace behaviours that demonstrate management of emotions . 11

1.4.1 Model workplace behaviours ......................................................... 12

1.5 Use self-reflection and feedback from others to improve development of

own emotional intelligence ......................................................................... 14

1.5.1 Self-reflection and feedback from others ........................................ 17

2 Recognise and appreciate the emotional strengths and weaknesses of others 21

2.1 Respond to emotional states of co-workers and assess emotional cues .... 21

2.1.1 Emotional states ......................................................................... 21

2.1.2 Emotional cues............................................................................ 23

2.2 Identify the varying cultural expressions of emotions are utilise to respond

to emotional cues in a diverse workforce ...................................................... 25

2.3 Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in dealing with others ................ 27

2.3.1 Leadership styles......................................................................... 29

2.4 Take into account the emotions of others when making decisions ........... 30

3 Promote the development of emotional intelligence in others ....................... 32

3.1 Provide opportunities for others to express their thoughts and feelings .... 32

3.2 Assist others to understand the effect of their behaviour and emotions on

others in the workplace .............................................................................. 34

3.3 Encourage the self-management of emotions in others .......................... 37

3.3.1 Restorative justice ....................................................................... 37

3.3.2 Motivate staff to develop emotional intelligence ................................. 46

4 Utilise emotional intelligence to maximise team outcomes ........................... 49

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4.1 Encourage a positive emotional climate in the workplace ....................... 49

4.2 Use the strengths of workgroup members to achieve workplace outcomes51

References .................................................................................................. 53

Appendix A - Legislation in Australian business ................................................ 54

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Introduction

Many organisations today face challenges from changes with internal and external

stakeholders. The dynamics of an organisation are constantly changing, therefore

the responsibilities of people will also require change.

As leaders we must focus on strong leadership for the learning and growth of

individuals. Contribute to the continuous improvement on how people are managed

and supported in the workplace.

This unit covers the development and use of emotional intelligence to increase self-

awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management in

the context of the workplace.

It includes identifying the impact of own emotions on others in the workplace,

recognising and appreciating the emotional strengths and weaknesses of others,

promoting the development of emotional intelligence in others and utilising

emotional intelligence to maximise team outcomes.

It applies to managers who identify, analyse, synthesise and act on information

from a range of sources and who deal with unpredictable problems. They use

initiative and judgement to organise the work of self and others and plan, evaluate

and co-ordinate the work of teams.

Emotional intelligence in todays workplace

If you have an employee with excellent qualifications and experience but has

problems working with others or towards a goal, that individual is lacking emotional

intelligence. Just being aware of your own emotional intelligence and trigger points

will allow you the ability to move a negative reaction to being a more proactive

leadership action.

In modern organisations leadership is not always confined to those with

management titles, everyone can provide leadership in the workplace. Leadership

is the ability to build relationships, collaborate with people, influence and

communicate with all parties. Emotional intelligence is feeling confident in your

abilities and knowing when you should take a leadership role or delegate to others.

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1 Identify the impact of own emotions on

others in the workplace

1.1 Identify own emotional strengths and

weaknesses

The concept of emotional intelligence in terms of leadership and management is

relatively new, becoming popular en masse in the mid-1990s. Prior to this,

intelligence was measured by an individuals intellectual ability, or their IQ.

Intellectual intelligence and emotional intelligence are two completely different

functions and very often, do not go hand in hand.

Daniel Goleman was the first to introduce the term emotional intelligence with his

book in 1995, he researched nearly 200 large global companies to find qualities

traditionally associated with intelligence, toughness, determination and vision are

required for success are insufficient.

He outlined how truly effective leaders are also distinguished with a high degree of

emotional intelligence which includes:

Self-awareness

Self-regulation

Motivation

Empathy

Social skill

Some of these qualities may sound soft and perhaps unbusinesslike but Goleman

found direct bonds between emotional intelligence and measureable business

results. Gormans article still remains the conclusive reference on this subject and

with a description of each component of emotional intelligence.

Gorman also described how without emotional intelligence a person can have the

best training in the world with an incisive, analytical mind an endless supply of

smart ideas, but still wont make a great leader.

More information can be found on Harvard Business Review article:

https://hbr.org/2004/01/what-makes-a-leader

Or

Goleman, Daniel (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Books. ISBN: 0-553-37858-9.

So what is emotional intelligence?

Emotional intelligence is an individuals ability to recognise their own emotions and

feelings, manage their own behaviour in response to these emotions and make

balanced decisions in emotional situations.

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It is also an individuals ability to recognise the emotions and feelings of others and

interact with them in a way that manages their behaviour and relationships with

others. It is the ability to recognise heightened emotions in both yourself and

others around you, remove yourself from the stress and manage the situation

objectively, taking into account the feelings of those involved, to arrive at a

resolution agreeable to all involved.

What is emotional intelligence - here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/What-emotional-

intelligence/124087/144436-4.html

There are variations in models but it is widely accepted that there are four

components to emotional intelligence which are categorised in pairs by both

personal and social competence, and recognition and regulation.

For effective leadership, a manager must demonstrate all of the four components in

each given situation or predicament.

Personal competence Social competence

Recognitio

n

Self-awareness

Emotions

Behaviour

Confidence

Accurate, honest and reflective self-

assessment

Social awareness

Empathy (recognition and

understanding of emotions and

behaviours of others)

Awareness and understanding of

feelings, emotions and behaviours of

the organisation

Regula

tion

Self-management

Maintaining emotional self-control in

emotive or volatile situations

Being honest and transparent

Able to adapt behaviour and approach

according to the situation and changes

in the situation

Initiative and innovative approach to

management

Optimistic uses every situation as an

opportunity

Relationship management

Conflict management and resolution

Inspirational and influential leadership

and management style leads by

example and models good emotional

intelligence

Collaborative approach to management

involves the team in decision making

and resolutions

Develops others

Why is emotional intelligence important?

Intellectual ability is obviously important in management and leadership; it is a

quantifiable level of knowledge and understanding about the organisations

processes and procedures, productivity, mission statement and objectives. This

knowledge is the foundation of management, and is an essential requirement for

running an organisation or a department or team within an organisation. You

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cannot effectively manage a production line if you do not have a full understanding

of the required processes and procedures.

Emotional intelligence, however, is not necessarily regarded as employers as an

essential requirement for managers. It is not absolutely vital to the management of

a team, but it is highly desirable. To return to the point made about a manager

needing to understand how the production line works in order to keep it running

smoothly, this is absolutely true of understanding how the members of your team

work, why and how they might react emotionally to a situation or behave

inappropriately, and what you, as a manager need to do and how you need to

behave to resolve the problem and lead by example.

It could be argued that emotional intelligence is more important than intellectual

ability when managing people. Human emotions are, after all, much more complex

to understand and deal with than a broken conveyor belt, and can have a huge

impact on the performance of employees. Employees are human beings and

regardless of deadlines, targets and other work place stresses and demands, they

rightfully expect to be treated as such; ignoring or avoiding their emotions has a

negative impact on the organisation also effecting productivity, work ethic and

performance of individuals and/or teams.

Embracing their needs and emotions by proactively and collaboratively managing a

resolution makes employees feel valued and gains their trust and loyalty which in

turn makes them more committed and motivated to perform to high standards.

Why emotions are key here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Why-emotions-

key/124087/144437-4.html

Your emotional strength is your mental stability and resilience to pressures and

stresses. Some pressures may affect more than others, and often in our personal

lives, we react differently to how we would in the workplace; for example, a police

officer who deals with household burglary on a daily basis in a calm and supportive

manner would probably not react quite so professionally if it was their property that

had been burgled. The first step in developing emotional intelligence is to

acknowledge and understand your own emotions and behaviours.

Before you start to consider what causes you stress in the workplace, first identify

your personal, generic, emotional strengths and weaknesses. You need to be

honest and transparent in your self-assessment. Below is a list of possible

examples but not a definitive list.

Emotional strengths Emotional weaknesses

Open-mindedness Narrow-mindedness

Objectivity Subjectivity

Perseverance Defeated quickly

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Honesty and integrity Tell people what they want to hear

Emotional strengths Emotional weaknesses

Generosity Selfishness

Kindness and loving Spite and isolation

Loyalty Betrayal

Self-control No self-control/temper

Trust Jealousy

Optimism Pessimism

Forgiveness Holding grudges/vengeance

Empathy, compassion Inability to understand other peoples emotions

Sympathy Inability to feel sorry for other people

Calm and reasonable under pressure Irrational behaviour

Dedication and commitment Indifference

Honesty Dishonesty

1.2 Identify personal stressors and own emotional

states related to the workplace

There are not many working environments or management roles in which stressors

or pressures to perform or fulfil the requirements of you role and responsibilities do

not exist, and even in those precious few that you may find, there are always

unforeseen circumstances that can create them, natural disasters for example, or

changes to regulations or legislation.

Within a management or leadership role, the number of stressors are bound to be

more than those within a general workers, and the further up in the hierarchy you

become, the more responsibility and accountability is attached to them. People

respond differently to similar stressors and pressures, and what might concern one

manager, may be that on which another manager thrives.

It is quite probable that there is more than one thing within your role that causes

you stress and anxiety, and there may be a number of things that evoke other

emotions such as annoyance or anger. Recognising what causes your own personal

stress will help you to understand that of others within your team.

Types of stressors in the workplace might include:

Demands:

Key performance indicators

Targets

Budgets

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Workload including unmanageable and unfairly distributed timeframes

Time-management and schedules

Meetings with senior management

Over-time

Poor leadership:

Impatient/unfair managers

Multiple managers or supervisors

Managers that do not understand your role

Relationships:

Bullying in the workplace

Conflicts between you and others that have not been adequately resolved

Conflicts between members of your team that you must resolve

Strained relationships with clients/suppliers/customers

Dealing with conflict such as angry customers

Lack of support from team members and/or supervision

Lack of understanding:

Poor communications from management

Not understanding your role and responsibility

Change:

To management

Own role and responsibility

Organisational structure redundancies for example

Emotional intelligence at work here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Emotional-intelligence-

work/124087/144438-4.html

1.2.1 Emotional states caused by work related stressors

The reasons for each aspect of employment causing you to feel stressed or under

pressure may be completely different and may evoke different types of emotional

response. For example, systematically failed sales targets may result in you being

the subject of a performance management plan or other disciplinary action which

causes concern for the security of your role and anxiety about personal financial

commitments. Presentations to senior management or large groups of stakeholders

may be a personal pressure for you if you are not confident in public speaking.

Types of emotional states related to the work place

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Negative emotional responses Positive emotional responses

Frustration Acceptance and acknowledgment of the

problem

Inappropriate behaviour Positive change to behaviour

Lack of concentration Perseverance

Confusion and indecision Proactive and methodical decision

making

Disappointment Continuous improvement

Anxiety/nervousness Excitement

Over-sensitivity Self-control

Withdrawal Motivation

Aggression Channelled energy

Anger Pragmatism

Recognising these stressors and your emotional response to them enables you to

begin the journey to developing your emotional intelligence. You may already be

well on the way, particularly if your emotional responses are positive ones.

1.3 Develop awareness of own emotional triggers

and use this awareness to enable control

emotional responses

We all have different emotional triggers and some can be very specific to the

individual such as being called an unpleasant nickname, or a member of senior

management always calling you by the wrong name. The emotion is a reaction to

an action or activity that compromises something that is very important to you.

That compromise is the trigger.

In order to identify your own emotional triggers you need to consider the things

that are most important to you, that if threatened or removed would cause an

extreme emotional reaction from you. They are often your morals and values.

Getting to know yourself here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Getting-know-

yourself/124087/144441-4.html

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Possible emotional triggers could be the potential compromise of any of

the following concepts:

To feel valued To be liked To be accepted

To be in control To be respected To be needed

To be understood To be included To be treated fairly

To be right Order Balance

Autonomy Predictability Safety

Fun Freedom Variety

Control emotional responses

By identifying and understanding the reasons for your emotional responses to work

stressors and personal pressures you have made yourself more aware of the issue.

This consciousness should enable you to recognise the trigger and stop the

emotional reaction before it occurs. By being able to apply a rational understanding

of why the reaction occurs, you enable yourself to step away from the issue and

take stock of how you are going to deal with it and manage the emotional

response.

You have identified the pressures and stressors that evoke this emotional reaction

and the reasons why. You have also identified your personal emotional strengths

and weaknesses. In order to control your emotional response to the work stressors,

you should identify your emotional strength that is most appropriate and suitable to

deal with the issue.

When you become aware of your own emotional triggers:

Stop

Detach yourself from the situation

Think about the process you have put in place to deal with the issue

Use that emotional strength to analyse the problem

Is the need that you believe is being compromised really under threat, and if

so, to what extent?

Have you taken it personally when that was not the intention of the action?

If the need is being compromised, how are you going to deal with it

objectively without being over-sensitive and emotional?

Working with your triggers here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

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http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Working-your-

triggers/124087/144447-4.html

As a manager or leader, controlling your emotional responses is a vital skill that

gets more natural with experience. It is important to remember that when you

detach yourself from a situation it gives you time to choose how to respond as

opposed to giving a reflex reaction.

Below is an example of potential stressors and emotional triggers experienced by a

police officer and the subsequent emotional strength and positive emotional

response the officer might use to deal rationally and objectively with the issue?

Work related

stressor

Emotional

trigger(s)

Emotional strength Positive

emotional

response

Using personal

protective equipment

to temporarily

disable/disarm a

violent offender

Safety Calm and reasonable

under pressure

Channelled

energy

Self-control

Giving evidence in

court

To be in control

To be right

To be respected

Justice

Honesty

Self-control

Delivering a death

message

Predictability

Justice

Balance

Empathy

Sympathy

Honesty

Pragmatism

Self-control

1.4 Model workplace behaviours that demonstrate

management of emotions

It is important for everybody in the workplace, regardless of their position, to try to

manage their emotions in order to retain a professional environment. This is not

always easy or achievable for some people and as human beings, emotional

responses to adverse or diverse situations are natural reactions. However, as

managers and leaders, you have to model workplace behaviours that demonstrate

management of emotions because you set the tone and the standard for the

behaviour of the rest of your team and/or organisation.

Not only must you set the standard on which the rest of the organisation models its

own behaviour, but you will also have to deal with the consequences of

inappropriate emotional responses and behaviours from your subordinates and also

possibly complaints from customers or clients exhibiting heightened emotions. If

you are unable to manage your emotions in these scenarios you will exacerbate the

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situation. Learning to control your emotions by detaching yourself from the issue

and not taking it personally, rather than just concealing your emotions. Also by

remaining impartial and indifferent to the situation you will be in a much more

objective position to deal with it effectively and fairly.

This is obviously much easier to talk about than to put it into practice, but as a

manager, your team and others around you will look to you control a problem or

situation and to provide solutions in a rational and calm manner. If the manager is

panicking or loses control of their emotions, chances are it will cause panic

amongst the staff and/or the staff may lose respect for them which will have a

negative impact on their authority and ability to manage their team.

Dependent on the nature of the industry in which you work, the scale of the

emotions you will have to manage might range from frustration at a printer that is

out of order and has not been reported to fear for your own personal safety or that

of members of your team from either a customer or a member of staff that has

seriously lost their temper.

You should consider the different types of situation with which you may have to

deal within your role and predict the emotions you will need to suppress. As you

become more experienced in management and leadership and are exposed to more

emotional situations you should expect to become desensitised to issues that would

once have provoked a personal emotional response from you, and your personal

emotional strength will increase. This is not to say that you will lose your empathy

and caring qualities, rather you will become more pragmatic in your responses to

emotional situations.

Understanding feelings here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Understanding-

feelings/124087/144442-4.html

1.4.1 Model workplace behaviours

How you manage your emotions will be unique to you, but here are a few

generic tips for managing some of the common workplace emotions:

Frustration/irritation:

Deal with it immediately otherwise it might escalate into anger or aggression

Evaluate the situation what exactly is the issue?

Find an opportunity what positives can the situation provide?

Think of a previous incident that frustrated you that you were able to resolve

If you cannot resolve the matter, move on to something else until you can

and try to forget about it

Anxiety/nervousness worry is often a result of the fear of the unknown and

speculation about what might happen:

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Avoid being around other people that are worried about the same thing as

speculative conversations compound the concern and often other people will

have thought of more things to worry about than you

For instant anxiety and potential panic attacks use deep breathing exercises

and focus on repeatedly breathing in slowly for five seconds and out for five

seconds to steady your heart rate

Look for ways to improve the situation make a list or brainstorm possible

opportunities to turn the worry into a positive learning experience

Keep a worry log write down your concerns and deal with each one or each

component of the worry separately and at a date and time that you schedule

yourself. By doing this you know you are going to deal with your anxieties at

a given time so can stop worrying until then

Anger/aggression probably the worst and most dangerous emotion you could

display in the workplace that could lose you your job and almost certainly result in

disciplinary action:

Know your emotional triggers if you find it difficult to control your temper

you will know what the warning signs are; look for them early before its too

late

Stop what you are doing if you feel yourself getting angry, take a break

from what you are doing and go to a different place to calm down; physically

removing yourself from whatever is making you angry removes part of the

threat

Use deep breathing techniques to focus your attention on something other

than the anger

Imagine yourself when you are angry similar to when toddlers throw

themselves on the floor in a tantrum, adults behaviour and appearance

changes when they are angry; the voice is often raised or lowered, the face

reddens, gestures become animated and they generally appear threatening.

Its quite embarrassing and alienating. Would you want to work with

someone like that?

Dislike as much as we would like to, we cannot like everyone with whom we

work, however it is important to remain professional at all times:

Be civil demonstrate respect for people at all times; it gives them no

reason to treat you any differently

Be assertive if they do treat you unfavourably make them aware of it in a

courteous manner and explain that you will not tolerate it

Disappointment/dissatisfaction there are many reasons you might suffer

disappointment in the workplace such as rejection for promotion or failing to meet

targets despite your best efforts. Learning from the experience is the best way to

deal with it:

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Put things into perspective life doesnt always go the way we want it to;

that is what makes it interesting. there is no such thing as a bad experience

Review your goal you may not need to change your target if you havent

reached it, you just might need to adjust it. Use this experience as a learning

exercise

Get back in the saddle dont sit dwelling on it for days; its happened so

understand why it has and put it to bed in order to move on to the next

target

Perceiving yourself accurately here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Perceiving-yourself-

accurately/124087/144443-4.html

1.5 Use self-reflection and feedback from others to

improve development of own emotional

intelligence

So, you understand the concept of emotional intelligence and have analysed and

identified what causes your own personal emotional responses both in general and

in the workplace, attaching theoretical coping strategies to each stressor.

Unlike intellectual intelligence that tends to mature in late adolescence and remain

the same throughout our adult lives, emotional intelligence can be an ability that is

developed and improved indefinitely and with experience as you become attuned to

the behaviours of others.

As with any skill, in order to improve it you have to constantly evaluate your

performance through self-reflection and by obtaining feedback from others. The

following exercises might help you to develop your emotional intelligence.

Talk about your feelings

Describe matters with feelings, and put an emotional label on how you felt at the

time. For example, if you were stuck in a traffic jam and late for a meeting you

might have been using expletives and saying things such as, This is just my luck,

or Im never going to make it on time.

You might even exhibit a change in behaviour such as banging your head on the

steering wheel or revving the accelerator unnecessarily whilst stationary. You

obviously know that none of these remarks or behaviours are helpful and actually

heighten the emotion you are experiencing.

Cultivating emotional intelligence here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Cultivating-emotional-

intelligence/124087/144439-4.html

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Instead, you should be trying to think in emotions and feelings, saying

things such as:

I feel impatient

I feel annoyed

I feel worried (that this may have a negative impact on the outcome of the

meeting)

You may not find that you can do this automatically whilst in the middle of the

situation but this is what developing emotional intelligence is all about. As soon as

you start detaching yourself from situations and taking a step back to analyse how

you are feeling, you can start to manage your feelings and emotions more

rationally.

Take responsibility

When you look back at incidents where you have had to manage your emotions,

take responsibility for your own feelings. Regardless of what has happened, nothing

or nobody can be held accountable for your chosen response to a stimulus. As

discussed in earlier chapters, emotional intelligence is the ability to respond

thoughtfully, not react without thinking.

For example, in the traffic jam scenario you may have felt annoyed at yourself

because you didnt leave yourself sufficient time to get to the meeting. Where

incidents cannot be helped, such as the traffic jam having been caused by an

accident, there is nothing anybody could have done to prevent it. If the colleagues

or clients at your meeting take exception in the latter circumstances, you might

question their emotional intelligence.

Use feelings to make decisions

When making any decisions within the workplace, you should obviously consider all

the factual and tangible consequences, but you should also take into account how it

will make people feel.

You should ask:

How will I feel if I do this?

How will I feel if I dont?

Why will I feel like this?

What else could I do that would make me feel better/different?

What will others feel?

What could I do to make others feel better?

You should also ask for feedback from others involved or affected by your decision.

Considering their feelings and actively asking for their contribution will make them

feel valued and shows your respect for them as human beings not just employees.

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It is these processes that help to build quality relationships within the workplace

between management and subordinates which subsequently fosters loyalty and

retention of quality members of staff.

Use feelings to set targets and objectives

Every organisation has its aims and objectives and it is the role of management to

ensure that these goals are met. The objectives should reflect the mission and the

ethos of the organisation which generally sets out the values and morality of the

company. Why not adopt the same approach to your own goals and targets?

You could ask:

How do I want to feel when the target is reached?

How do I want the members of my team to feel when they have reached the

target?

How do they want to feel when the target is reached?

How do they want to feel along the way?

How do I want senior management to feel when the target is reached?

What can I do to ensure these feelings are reached?

Attach feelings targets to your goals and ask for regular feedback from those

involved during the journey. For example, if making the employees feel valued is

one of the targets, you might decide in consultation with them that in order to do

this they want regular updates and communication on the progress of their work

throughout the project. This then gives you a metric by which to measure your

progress.

Cultivating confidence and self-esteem here is a useful link to reinforce this

concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Cultivating-confidence-self-

esteem/124087/144444-4.html

Use feelings to discuss and resolve incidents

When dealing with an incident or conflict in the workplace, either between you and

a colleague or members of your team, always ask all involved how the incident

made them feel. This may sound irrelevant but it is surprising how personally some

people take the most minor issue. For example, a flippant comment to an

administrative assistant about the printer running out of paper could ruin their day

and they might even go home and worry about it, particularly if it is a member of

the management team that made the comment.

The issue may not come to light for a few more days until the administrative

assistant mentions it to a colleague and explains how it has affected him/her. The

manager may probably have forgotten about the printer running out of paper and

have no knowledge of the bad feeling they have caused.

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By having a conversation with the administrative assistant and asking them how it

made them feel allows them to air their grievance and gives the manager the

opportunity to understand how their actions have adversely affected a colleague. It

also enables the manager to explain the lack of intent to harm the administrative

assistants feelings.

1.5.1 Self-reflection and feedback from others

As with all self-reflection, you have to be honest and open in order for it to be of

any value. Each time you are involved in a matter that requires the use of

emotional intelligence and you having to manage your emotions, try asking

yourself the following questions and recording your responses for future

comparison and evaluation.

Example incident

You return to the office after a meeting and enter reception. Your receptionist tells

you that she has forgotten to take down a telephone number for an important

potential client who is awaiting a call back from you, the manager. There is another

customer waiting in reception. You are angry but you roll your eyes and make a

joke to the customer that, You just cant get the staff, before walking away

without saying anything to the receptionist.

Self-reflection

Question Response

How did I feel at the time? Angry, frustrated, worried.

Why did I feel like this? Angry because the potential client was worth a lot of

money to the organisation.

Frustrated because the receptionist should know

better and it is standard procedure when taking a call

to take a contact number.

Worried that the client might question the

professionalism of the organisation or me because I

have not called back.

Question Response

What was my emotional

response?

I tried to disguise my real feelings with an attempt at

humour by embarrassing the receptionist in front of

the customer.

How did that affect the

situation?

It probably made the receptionist feel useless and

humiliated in front of a customer.

It did not resolve the matter.

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How did it affect me? It made me look unprofessional in front of the

customer.

It made me feel guilty and ashamed of myself for

treating the receptionist badly.

How did it affect others? It probably made the customer feel awkward and

damaged their opinion of me.

It upset the receptionist.

How could I have responded

differently?

Acknowledged the omission discreetly and politely and

returned later to speak with the receptionist when the

customer had gone, in order to salvage as much as

possible from the situation.

How do I feel now? Irritated with myself.

Why do I feel like this? Because I have upset a member of my staff, damaged

my reputation and quite possibly that of the company,

and still havent managed to call the potential client

back.

What else do I need to do to put

it right?

I need to apologise to the receptionist and give her a

chance to explain.

I need to try and contact the potential client and

explain the reason for not calling back without blaming

the misunderstanding on the receptionist.

What do I need from others to

put it right?

I need the receptionist to accept my apology.

Achieving your goals here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Achieving-your-

goals/124087/144449-4.html

Feedback from the receptionist

Question Response

How did you feel at the time? Upset, angry, annoyed, embarrassed, worried.

Why did you feel like this? Upset, angry and annoyed at myself because it is a

fundamental part of my job and I forgot to do it.

Upset, angry and annoyed at you because of the

remark you made to the customer and because you

ignored me.

Embarrassed because the customer then tried to make

me feel better about my omission after you had gone.

Worried that there might be disciplinary repercussions.

What was my emotional

response?

You were rude and humiliating.

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How did that affect the

situation?

It made it worse.

How did it affect you? I was worried for the rest of the day which affected my

confidence to do my job. I was not as friendly on the

telephone because I was concerned that I would make

the same mistake again. I hid from you when you

came through reception later to go to another

meeting.

How could I have responded

differently?

Spoken to me later or in private.

How could you have responded

differently?

Tried to find the number of the potential client as soon

as I realised I hadnt taken it down.

How do you feel now? Scared of you.

Why do you feel like this? Because you didnt come back to talk to me.

What else do you need from me

to put it right?

To forgive me for the omission.

What do you need to do to put it

right?

Apologise.

You can see that the feedback from the receptionist is very similar to the feelings of

the manager. This reflects the fact that when emotions are not managed, they

affect those involved in very similar ways.

Seeking feedback on emotions management from colleagues and members of your

team not only helps to develop your emotional intelligence, but it also encourages

them to think in a similar way to develop their own.

Living with integrity here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Living-integrity/124087/144448-4.html

Self-reflection for workplace incident

Question Response

How did I feel at the time?

Why did I feel like this?

What was my emotional response?

How did that affect the situation?

How did it affect me?

How did it affect others?

How could I have responded differently?

How do I feel now?

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Why do I feel like this?

What do I need to do to put it right?

What do I need from others to put it right?

Feedback from colleague

Question Response

How did you feel at the time?

Why did you feel like this?

What was my emotional response?

How did that affect the situation?

How did it affect you?

How could I have responded differently?

How could you have responded differently?

How do you feel now?

Why do you feel like this?

What else do you need from me to put it right?

What do you need to do to put it right?

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2 Recognise and appreciate the emotional

strengths and weaknesses of others

2.1 Respond to emotional states of co-workers and

assess emotional cues

You have identified and evaluated your own personal emotional strengths in

relation to the workplace and you now need to develop your understanding of those

of the people with whom you work and manage. As a manager you are expected to

be able to deal effectively with others and develop and refine your emotional

intelligence in order to do so.

This is not necessarily the case with all of your co-workers who may not have

responsibility for the behaviour and actions of anyone but themselves. This is not to

say that some of your co-workers might possess highly advanced emotional

intelligence or that others have very little, or none at all. You will probably find that

there are mixed levels of emotional intelligence amongst your colleagues and this

in itself can cause issues and conflicts because they do not manage their emotions

in the same way as one another.

Getting to know others here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Getting-know-

others/124087/144452-4.html

2.1.1 Emotional states

In the first element you looked at different emotional responses, particularly your

own, which might occur in the workplace. Your emotional responses will differ to

those of your colleagues because we all have different personalities and emotional

strengths and weaknesses. Something that motivates you, a production deadline

for example, may not evoke the same drive from an employee on the production

line that is paid minimum wage and performs the same repetitive tasks on a daily

basis.

The time you will spend paying attention to emotions of colleagues in the

workplace, resolving issues will make employees happier will ensure more

productivity. Understand others emotions before you make a decision to take

action, look and listen to see how others are reacting. By feeling empathy and

compassion for others allows you to notice things from others perspectives and

work with the situation for the best outcome.

Likewise, something that concerns the same production line employee, such as

needing to request time off for a childs medical appointment, will not concern you

at all. That employee may be worried about having to go to your office and ask for

time off and this may affect their behaviour towards others on the production line

(they might snap at them or ignore them because they are pre-occupied with the

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trip to your office), or it might affect their performance and ability to do their job

properly because they are nervous.

The emotions the employee is experiencing are potential causes of conflict which

you may very well have to resolve before they even made it into your office to ask

the question that has caused all the problems.

As a manager, you need to be able to recognise the emotional strengths and

weaknesses of others within your team and the emotional states that they produce.

An emotional state is actually two separate concepts. The state we are in

determines how we perceive something that is happening to us or around us which

results in the emotion we feel towards it. The emotion we feel to the same stimulus

may be completely different depending on the state we are in.

For example, a colleague plays a practical joke on you by hiding your lunch box.

After a productive and lucrative meeting with a new client that has ensured you

treble your sales targets half way through the month, you probably wont care

about the hidden lunch box and may be amused when you find it later in the day in

your filing cabinet when you are looking for something else.

However, after a tough meeting with your manager about falling sales figures when

you need to attend another meeting on the other side of town for which you are

running late? A different emotion altogether.

Exercising emotional self-control here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Exercising-emotional-self-

control/124087/144446-4.html

You will often find that the subsequent response is determined by the emotional

state of the individual and will also vary according to the state. With the lunch box

example, the response in the happy emotional state might be that the individual

who has had his lunch box hidden goes out and buys the whole office lunch as a

celebration of the trebled sales. The response from the stressed individual

is most probably going to be one of anger or aggression.

State

PerceptionEmotion

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Emotional states:

There are more emotional states than you might have imagined. This selection is not

exhaustive.

Affection Agitation Alienation Ambivalence

Anxiety Apathy Apprehension Bitterness

Boredom Calm Confidence Depression

Disappointment Desire Doubt Embarrassment

Enthusiasm Euphoria Frustration Gratitude

Grief Guilt Hate Helplessness

Hope Humility Joy Jealousy

Loneliness Mania Nostalgia Optimism

Patience Pride Rage Remorse

Shame Shock Shyness Suspicion

Sympathy Terror Vulnerability Worry

Recognising different emotional states may be quite difficult because some of the

physical features and behaviours, or emotional cues, that individuals demonstrate

are common to a number of different states.

2.1.2 Emotional cues

An emotional cue is basically a sign that gives an indication as to the emotional

state of an individual. It is generally a non-verbal movement of a part of the body,

usually involuntary, unintentional and unconscious.

Generic emotional cues include:

Facial expressions

Body movement

Tone of voice.

Emotional state

Filter Response

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Facial expressions include:

Smile joy, happiness, amusement, affection, confidence, enthusiasm, to

embarrassment, euphoria, gratitude, mania, nostalgia, optimism, pride,

shyness

Frown agitation, anxiety, bitterness, frustration, hate, rag, suspicion,

worry, confusion

Blink agitation, anxiety, apprehension, guilt, vulnerability, mania, rage

Raise eyebrows doubt, hope, shock, suspicion

Widen eyes apprehension, helplessness, hope, mania, optimism, shock,

terror, vulnerability

Facial flushing agitation, embarrassment, guilt, rage, shame, shyness

Down turned mouth depression, disappointment, grief, loneliness, remorse,

vulnerability

No expression ambivalence, apathy, boredom, calm, patience.

Body movements include:

Fist pump enthusiasm, euphoria, joy

Throat-clear uncertainty, apprehension

Jaw drop shock

Both hands to mouth apprehension, shock, terror

Both hands to head frustration, disappointment

Dropping the head protection, apprehension, agitation, humility, shame,

remorse, shyness, vulnerability

Freeze helplessness, shock, terror

Slumped shoulders depression, disappointment, helplessness

Gesticulating agitation, enthusiasm, desire, joy, mania, rage

Jumping shock

Shaking agitation, apprehension, enthusiasm, euphoria, frustration, rage,

terror

Pacing agitation, anxiety, mania, rage, worry.

Tone of voice includes:

Falling pitch calm, ambivalence, apathy, depression, disappointment,

helplessness, nostalgia, vulnerability

Rising pitch agitation, anxiety, desire, euphoria, joy, mania, rage, terror,

worry

Sarcasm bitterness, doubt, suspicion

Raised agitation, confidence, hate, mania, rage.

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You can see just from these examples that emotional cues can be quite confusing,

especially if you dont know the person. For example, agitation and anxiety share a

number of common emotional cues that, if misread, could cause more conflict or a

more heightened emotional state than you first started with.

Whats more, emotional cues can be unique to an individual such as repeatedly

tapping the side of the leg when agitated or whistling when nervous. Understanding

generic emotional cues can help you to assess the emotional states of your co-

workers, but taking the time to get to know their personalities is instrumental in

predicting how they might respond to specific pressures or situations.

2.2 Identify the varying cultural expressions of

emotions are utilise to respond to emotional

cues in a diverse workforce

Diversity in Australia

Australia is a hugely multi-cultural nation. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander

peoples are the original inhabitants of Australia and have been living there for

between 40,000 and 60,000 years. Since Great Britain established the first

European settlement in 1788, people from over 200 countries have migrated to

Australia and they and their descendants make up the rest of the population.

Different cultures have varying ways of expressing emotions and it is important

that you understand these emotional cues in order to respond appropriately and

sensitively.

Similarities in expressions of emotions

Extensive psychological research over time and across many different cultures all

over the world has established that human beings experience and react with

universal facial expressions to six basic emotions.

The six basic emotions are:

Happiness

Sadness

Anger

Fear

Surprise

Disgust

However, research has also shown that the extent to which these emotions are

shown using facial expressions varies according to different cultures. The display

rules of each culture determine how much emotion individuals are allowed to

convey in a given situation.

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Collectivist cultures feel the need to fit in with all around them without drawing

attention to themselves. They tend to mask negative emotions by controlling their

facial expressions when in the presence of others, particularly authority figures.

Cultivating social awareness here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Cultivating-social-

awareness/124087/144455-4.html

Collectivist cultures include:

Canada Nepal Argentina Brazil

Bulgaria China Egypt Greece

India Indonesia Japan Korea

Lebanon Portugal Romania Russia

Ukraine Saudi Arabia Serbia Singapore

Turkey Vietnam Malaysia African countries

Palestine Poland Pakistan Philippines

Individualist cultures encourage the importance of power and autonomy and are

much more overt with their emotions and facial expressions.

Individualist cultures include:

United States Germany Austria

United Kingdom Italy France

Czech Republic Finland Estonia

Belgium Luxembourg South Africa

Australia Switzerland Ireland

Poland (post-communist

generation The Netherlands Hungary

Language and priority of emotions

It is also important to be aware that the names of some emotions do not have an

equivalent across all languages so when dealing with co-workers from a culture

different to your own that appear to be in an emotional state it is important not to

confuse matters with words being lost in translation.

Some cultures also have different priorities of emotions, for example, generically

speaking, honour and shame in the Far East would have more meaning to

individuals and society than they perhaps would in the United States of America.

It is important to familiarise yourself with the emotional differences of the varying

cultures within your organisation and the emotional cues and responses you are

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likely to encounter in order to respond fairly to all co-workers you encounter in

emotional states, regardless of their culture.

Other influences on emotional responses

It is also worth noting that there are other cultural influences that may affect the

way individuals respond in emotional situations.

These differences might include:

Age younger, more inexperienced co-workers might react with heightened

emotion to older, more experienced employees

Gender studies suggest that men are more likely to hide feelings of fear

and surprise than women, whereas women are more likely to control feelings

of disgust, contempt and anger

Socio-economic class boundaries of what is deemed acceptable behaviour

and emotional response may differ according to socio-economic class

Language barriers in language can make it difficult to understand and

resolve problems, particularly when vocabulary to describe emotions cannot

be translated from one language to another

Mental ability an individual with learning difficulties will quite probably

respond much differently to someone without them. Equally, the mental

health of an individual could also have a bearing on their emotional

responses

Past experiences personal and professional past experiences can change

the way individuals respond emotionally to certain situations and stimulus.

For example, a co-worker who has past experience of nursing in a hospital

emergency department is less likely to faint at the sight of blood than an

employee who has never witnessed physical trauma. It is also worth bearing

in mind that past experience of abuse (emotional, physical, sexual) or

repeated exposure to witnessing and dealing with horrendous events can

desensitise individuals emotional responses to any number of situations

Appreciating diversity here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Appreciating-

diversity/124087/144456-4.html

2.3 Demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in

dealing with others

It doesnt matter how large or small your workforce is, it will inevitably contain a

plethora of personalities with unique capabilities, needs and possibly emotional

limitations and abilities. As a manager it is your responsibility not only to manage

their workload, but also all the human aspects that occur on a daily basis.

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Dependent on the nature of your workforce and industry the matters that arise

may range from basic frustration with broken equipment to full scale trauma as a

result of a serious incident in the workplace. Whatever arises, the way in which you

deal with the people involved will have a significant impact on the outcome of the

incident.

Matters that arise may include:

Complaints about from workers about co-workers such as time wasting

Incorrect wages

Mistakes in the rota

Holidays and time off

Disputes between colleagues

Disciplinary conversations/actions

Personal issues affecting work

Unforeseen circumstances

Angry customers/colleagues.

The important thing to remember when dealing with others is to treat them as

individuals. Knowing your team will enable you to do this with much more accuracy

and will also make them feel valued.

Refer to Appendix A for more information - Legislation in Australian business

Each member of your team will have their own emotional needs and level of

emotional intelligence. You will have to adapt a number of things in your approach

to ensure you deal with the situation on their level.

Anticipating needs here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Anticipating-

needs/124087/144454-4.html

You will need to demonstrate flexibility and adaptability in the following

areas:

Vocabulary the words you use must be understood by the individual

Tone you may need to adopt an empathic approach or the situation may

require assertiveness

Time some people will be quick and simple to deal with whilst others will be

much more demanding of your time. You need to remain in control of the

situation but gauge how much time should be spent with one individual if

progress is not being made

Solutions you may have to be creative with the possible solutions you offer

and you should also remember that one size will not fit all; as with time,

some individuals will be more difficult to please

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Your own capabilities you should also know when you have exhausted your

own abilities to deal with an individual and be able to recognise when the

situation requires escalation to the next level of authority or expertise

Developing empathy here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Developing-

empathy/124087/144453-4.html

2.3.1 Leadership styles

As a manager you probably have a preferred leadership style and this may work

most of the time, but it is important to vary your approach when necessary.

Daniel Golemans book, Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence, first

published in 2002, states that the most successful leadership is that of managing

the emotions of their team in order to keep motivation and morale high.

The better a leader understands the members of their team, the more successful

they can be in stimulating and maintaining motivation to achieve the desired goals.

But not all people can be managed in the same way.

The six leadership styles Goleman identified are:

The visionary leader this style of leadership sets out a vision or an ideal

and shares it with the team, guiding and supporting, but not directing team

members in a specific direction. It is often used when a new direction is

needed and there is no clear path yet forged. It is often more successful with

young and inexperienced individuals than with seasoned workers resistant to

change

The coaching leader this is a much more personalised approach to

leadership in which much time is invested in long conversations with

individual workers in order to link the goals of the organisation with the

individuals personal goals and career aspirations. For individuals who already

know what they want, are already doing it, and are self-motivated, this style

of leadership can be over bearing and can seem like micro-management

The affiliative leader this style of leadership places the importance on the

emotional needs of the workforce over work and organisational needs and

this sort of leader wants to retain harmony amongst the whole workforce at

all costs. It can be quite destructive if the workforce take advantage of the

kindness and compassion afforded to them and it can also be regarded as

sweeping issues under the carpet in order to appease the emotions of the

staff

The democratic leader this is a collaborative approach in which

management seeks the input of their workforce for decision making

processes. It is an effective way of gaining support from the workforce as it

allows them to take ownership of the goals, but it can also be regarded as

management not knowing what they are doing

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The pace-setting leader this approach is to lead by example. A pace-setting

leader will often bring in new and exciting challenges, demonstrating their

own ability and excellence, and expecting the same from everyone else. If a

situation needs rescuing they will often wade in and resolve matters

themselves. Very little guidance is offered to the workforce and they are

expected to know what to do and get it done. It works best with an

experienced and able team who are highly motivated

The commanding leader perhaps the most traditional style of leadership,

the commanding leader issues clear instructions with no room for manoeuvre

that they expect will be completed without any questions asked. It is as far

from democratic as possible. This type of leader has a powerful presence and

can often be seen as cold and aloof. This style works best in a crisis when

results or changes are needed immediately and a floundering team needs

clear guidance.

Our personalities lend us to a specific style of leadership but a good manager

should employ a combination of all styles to suit the occasion and the people with

whom they deal.

Developing others here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Developing-

others/124087/144459-4.html

2.4 Take into account the emotions of others when

making decisions

Emotional intelligence gives you the ability to show empathy and understanding of

other peoples feelings. When making decisions that concern or will affect the

emotions of your workforce, you need the ability to understand how they will feel

about the decisions you make and why they will feel that way.

This is a trait of the affiliative leader who desires harmony and collaboration

amongst every member of the workforce and could also be described as a

collectivist approach to leadership. In business, decision-making is often about

saving time and money and making improvements to existing processes and

procedures. It often does not concern the emotions of others. However, when

managing people, and making decisions that will affect them personally and

emotionally, the process is not as straightforward as rational thought?

When making decisions consideration should be given to the following:

How the decision will affect individuals emotionally

How it will affect individuals personally

How it might affect people financially

How it might affect people socially

How it might affect their productivity

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How it might affect their mood in the workplace

How it might affect your relationship with them

How it might affect their relationship(s) with others

Any effect it might have on the mental health of an individual

Ramifications for the organisation

Short-term effects on the individuals emotions

Long-term effects on the individuals emotions

Soliciting input from others in the decision making process

We have decided that it is important to consider the emotions of others in decision

making, but how are you going to get an accurate picture? You might know your

workforce incredibly well and can predict the effect a decision may have on them,

or they might be vocal about how they anticipate a decision will impact upon their

emotions.

Communicating effectively here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Communicating-

effectively/124087/144458-4.html

You could request feedback from your workforce to help you make a decision based

upon their emotions. If the decision affects just one individual, an informal

conversation might suffice. If, however, the decision affects a large group of people

you might need a more formal approach to obtain feedback, such as an open forum

or an employee survey.

Whilst it is important to consider the emotions of others in making decisions it is

also important to remain objective and balanced in your considerations. It is also

vital that you do not avoid legal or ethical requirements when making your

decisions. For example, if an employee has stolen an item of another employees

property, you could not make a decision on how to handle it based upon the

emotions of the perpetrator. However, you could possibly make a decision on how

to handle it based upon the emotions of the victim.

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3 Promote the development of emotional

intelligence in others

3.1 Provide opportunities for others to express

their thoughts and feelings

It can be quite daunting for people with whom you work and manage to express

their thoughts and feelings. In a working environment we are often told not to and

instead to maintain a professional manner and attitude at all times. This is certainly

true of colleagues working with customers and members of the public, and also in

terms of maintaining positive and courteous working relationships with one

another. However, that is not to say you cannot provide safe opportunities for your

team to have their thoughts and feelings heard.

The benefits of developing emotional intelligence within your workforce are

multiple, but perhaps the best one for managers of people, is that if they are able

to manage their own emotions themselves, you dont have to spend time doing it

for them. It enables both you and your workforce to get on with the task in hand

without having to spend time dealing with issues and incidents of an emotional

nature.

Possible opportunities you could provide your workforce to express their

thoughts and feelings include:

Training sessions hold paid, group training sessions as part of the personal

development of each employee that cover:

Benefits of the development of emotional intelligence such as better

performance at work, higher income, job stability and job satisfaction

Body language you looked at emotional states and emotional cues in

chapter 2.1. Use this information to help your workforce understand their

own behaviours and the impact it has on others perception of their

emotional state

Active listening let them practice the art of active listening which includes:

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Developing self-awareness give employees five minutes at the end of their

shift to keep a daily journal in which they reflect upon their emotions and

feelings from that day

One to one meetings offer each employee a short, five minute meeting

with yourself in which they can talk to you about any concerns they have or

to get worries/frustrations off their chest in a controlled and safe

environment. This could be beneficial to you as a manager as they may raise

issues of which you were unaware that could be threatening to the

organisation or to other employees

Difficult conversations actively encourage your employees to meet with you

to have the difficult conversations about taboo issues that are usually swept

under the carpet

Build time into team meetings for rants and moans in your regular

meetings, allow a short period of time that can be used for employees to

have a rant about their frustrations but make sure that when you move on,

you really do move on

Build optimism use very opportunity to provide positive feedback to your

employees, either individually or in groups. The more genuine praise you

shower on them the more buoyant their confidence and motivation. Equally,

use opportunities to provide developmental feedback that encourages self-

reflection

Specific developmental goal for each colleague build into their personal

appraisals specific goals in their development of emotional intelligence so

they have something quantifiable for which to aim

Providing your workforce with safe opportunities to express their feelings and

emotions away from the shop floor will encourage them, as individuals and a

Giving their full attention

Not talking over the top of others

Maintaining eye contact (for face-to-face

interactions), except where eye contact may

be culturally inappropriate

Repeating back what the speaker has said

Speaking clearly and concisely

Using appropriate language and tone of

voice

Using appropriate non-verbal

communication (body language) personal presentation (for

face-to-face interactions

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group, to start taking responsibility for their own emotions and behaviours and

understand those of others around them.

Facilitating team performance here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Facilitating-team-

performance/124087/144460-4.html

3.2 Assist others to understand the effect of their

behaviour and emotions on others in the

workplace

Todays leaders that endorse emotional intelligence offer assistance to others in the

workplace for positive outcomes creating a productive working environment.

Without taking the time to understand an employees point of view how will we

ever come up with a solution to grow with this person in the organisation?

Performance meeting can be an optimum time to discuss behaviour in the

workplace and seek a positive solution, also you will be able to see emotions of

employees towards the organisation. How will you ever understand problems with

people in your organisation, if you do not ask questions and have formal

discussions?

Stressful situations are very common in the workplace and may become harder for

employees to handle emotions, so as a leader you must provide the following:

Coaching

A good coach is someone who will get you to do something you dont want to do;

that you have to do; in order to reach your goals.

Coaching is a useful way of developing employees skills and abilities, and

improving performance.

A coaching session takes place between a coach and the coachee and focuses on

helping the coachee discover answers from themselves. People are more likely to

engage with solutions that they come up with themselves, rather than those that

are forced upon them.

Most formal professional coaching is carried out by qualified people who work with

clients to improve their effectiveness and performance and help them to reach their

full potential.

Foundation for coaching

Coaching is founded on confidentiality and trust. The coachee must be able to

speak about all aspects or an issue or challenge with their coach. Coaching should

be something all managers do with their teams. It can help to improve work

performance and deal with issues before they become larger problems.

Solution focused coaching

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This approach places primary emphasis on assisting the client to define a desired

future state (where or what they want to be); and constructs a pathway emphasis

on assisting the client to define desire future state. The approach looks to identify a

way of thinking and acting that will allow the coachee to reach their goal.

The following YouTube provides a good explanation of solution focused coaching:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JX2FnFUqLMo

Team coaching

Team coaching is designed to help people understand how to work better with

others. It is a good method to improve working relationships and reduce conflict.

When team coaching you focus on interpersonal skills and interactions, rather that

the development of an individual.

A good place to start with team coaching is to understand the dynamics of the

team. Individuals have different styles of working and communicating; and when

we encounter someone different to us, we may be frustrated and fail to recognise

the other persons strengths.

Personality and behavioural assessments are great tools for improving a teams

understanding of its own dynamics, and why people react the way they do. By

understanding others they can improve how they relate to each other, being more

tolerant and understanding of each others needs and abilities.

Myers-Briggs is an excellent tool for uncovering individual patters in things such as

communication and conflict resolution.

As a coach your role is to bring team members together and to encourage effective

team work. It is good practice to establish behaviour expectations, a team charter

is an effective way to do this.

Effective working relationships are built by understanding team members needs,

preferences, and styles of work. By helping people understand their own styles and

appreciate the different styles of others, you can work with them to change their

behaviours and use everyones strengths.

The GROW model

There are many coaching models. GROW is one model a coach can use.

Goal Current realityOptions (or obstacles)

Will (or way forward)

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The model was originally developed in 1980s by performance coach Sir John

Whitmore, although is have been further developed by others, including Graham

Alexander.

A good way to think about GROW is to think about how you would plan a journey.

First you decide where you would like to go (Goal); then you look at where you are

now (current reality). Then you explore your options (consider obstacles, such as

money, time etc.). Then finally you commit to your journey.

This is the process the coach would take the coachee through, the coach acts as

the facilitator of the process.

The two most important skills for a coach are:

Mentoring skills

Using your knowledge and experience to help others

By mentoring in the workplace you can help people increase their effectiveness,

advance their careers, and create a more productive organisation. Being a mentor

can be very rewarding.

Benefits of mentoring

Mentoring is based on the relationship between two people the mentor and the

mentee. As a mentor, you pass on valuable skills, knowledge and experiences to

your mentee.

Mentoring is designed to help the mentee feel more confident and supported.

Mentees should, through the mentor process, develop a clearer sense of what they

want to achieve in their careers and personal lives.

For an organisation mentoring is a good way of efficiently transferring valuable

competencies from one person to another. This increases the organisations

knowledge base, helps to build strong working teams, and can be utilised in a

succession planning strategy.

Developmental mentoring: is where the mentor is helping the mentee develop

new skills and abilities. The mentor is to guide the mentee and help them grow.

Sponsorship mentoring: is when the mentor is more of a career influencer than

a guide. The mentor really drives the mentees progress, opening doors for the

mentee to gain opportunities, and influencing others to help the mentee to

advance.

Skills for mentoring

To be an effective mentor you will need to:

Have the desire to mentor- you must be willing to spend time helping the

mentee

Ask good questions Actively listen

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Be a role model for continual personal and professional growth- you need to

demonstrate to the mentee that learning and development never ceases

Be confident we are not talking about having a big ego, rather being

confident in your abilities to apply critical thinking and challenge your mentee

to do the same

Ask the right questions- good mentors ask their mentees questions that

make them think! Then they support the mentee as they seek to find the

answers. The goal is to guide the mentee to a path that will allow them to

find the answer or reach a conclusion

Listen actively- watch your mentee carefully, read body language and

recognise what topics your mentee finds difficult. Be patience and willing to

listen fully without judgement

Provide feedback- show the mentee that you have listened and provide them

with feedback that gives them an alternative perspective on their thoughts

Mentoring is about transferring information, competence, and experience to

mentees, so that they build confidence. You need to be:

3.3 Encourage the self-management of emotions in

others

A big part of developing emotional intelligence is not just understanding and

managing your own emotions but understanding how your behaviour and emotions

affect others around you. It is incredibly important to be self-aware and reflect on

your actions and behaviour and it is also important to seek feedback from others in

order to gain a full perspective of the impact of your behaviour and emotions on

others. As stated earlier, an emotion or behaviour that upsets one colleague, such

as using expletives in frustration, may not even register with another.

Listening to feedback from colleagues about their own displays of emotion and

behaviour can be quite an emotive process for some individuals and it should be

handled sensitively and privately. Restorative approaches are quite powerful and

meaningful in these circumstances.

3.3.1 Restorative justice

Restorative justice is actually an approach to criminal justice where the emphasis is

not on punishment but on repairing the damage that has been caused. It focuses

on the needs of both the victim and the offender, where the two come together to

agree a resolution to the matter. Resolutions can be incredibly innovative and

enlightening and can build and strengthen relationships.

Encouraging Nurturing SupportiveAble to relate

to their journey

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It works just as well in community situations including the workplace. A restorative

meeting takes place when somebody or a group of people have caused harm or

offence to another person or another group of people. It is a controlled

conversation in a calm environment that is mediated by somebody impartial and

usually of higher authority than those involved. Ground rules are set at the

beginning by which all parties around the table must abide in order for the

conversation to run smoothly.

The idea of the restorative meeting is to enable those that have been harmed or

offended to explain to the person that has caused the harm how their behaviour

made them feel and why. It also gives the person that has caused the harm to

explain to the person they harmed how they felt and why they behaved the way

they did.

It gives both parties the opportunity to reflect on their emotional responses to the

situation and think about what they could have done differently. It also gives both

parties the opportunity to tell each other what they need from the other person to

repair the situation and what they need to do themselves to resolve the matter.

Restorative meetings can be quite powerful when two colleagues come face to face

to discuss their emotions and feelings. Often the true extent of the harm caused

and the emotions felt are not realised until discussed directly with those involved.

Often the person who has caused the harm has little or no idea of the impact their

behaviour and emotions have had on others and it can be a sincere and honest

lesson learned for future behaviour and emotional responses.

Managing conflict here is a useful link to reinforce this concept

http://www.lynda.com/Business-Skills-tutorials/Managing-conflict/124087/144461-

4.html

Restorative meetings cannot be forced upon individuals; the conversations must be

honest in order to be meaningful and truly restore the harm that has been caused.

If one of the parties is reluctant to take part they are unlikely to say what they

really feel which will render the meeting useless.

Talking openly about feelings in the workplace is quite a difficult concept to grasp

and get involved wit

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