How do you know you need to lose weight? The fit of your clothes,
your scale, or your doctor might tell you. How do you know you need to work on
your EQ? Problems at work or in personal relationships might indicate a need
and finding yourself repeating emails for additional clarity made be a sign.
Another way to find out is through an EQ test. If you already know you want to
work on improving your emotional intelligence, you still need to begin with an
assessment. People who’ve dieted know they won’t be able to measure their
success later if they don’t take their measurements at the outset. The same is
true when setting out on many self-improvement programs, including this one.
Many employers offer EQ training programs. Find out if yours does
and take advantage of it. If your employer does not offer training you can take
advantage of, find out if you are eligible for outside training reimbursement.
Failing that, if you still want to pursue training, consider it a personal
investment in your future success.
A few online self-assessments to consider:
I used three of these. IHHP's free assessment tool was brief and high-level. It serves as a good first step in EQ self-discovery.
A free TalentSmart assessment was included with my purchase of
“Emotional Intelligence 2.0” (I suspect this is a scaled-down version of
TalentSmart’s full fee-based assessment tool.) The book opens with a high-level
introduction to EQ and is organized in chapters, one for each EQ competency. The test doesn't take long and the results equate to the competencies, making
it easier to develop an improvement plan. Re-taking the test later will serve
as a progress assessment. The bulk of TalentSmart’s training offerings are on-site corporate solutions; however, the book offers simple, practical
solutions for the independent practitioner.
Queendom’s test took longer and provided the most detailed
assessment. Their test included showing images of people interacting and asking the respondent questions based on his or her observations. I tend to believe that this
type of assessment is more accurate than one based solely on verbal questions for measuring one’s ability to accurately perceive what one observes.
Their results don’t include improvement plans or training, but the information
they provide is very useful for focusing your training dollars where you will
benefit most.
Once you have your results, you need to formulate an improvement
plan. Emotional Intelligence 2.0 and Six Seconds provide both assessment tools
and resources for self-improvement. Six Seconds largely offers corporate on-site
solutions but also sells many workbooks, multi-media kits, and webinars for the
solitary student. One of their unique offerings that makes EQ training fun is
an interactive web-based EQ TV online program.
A few other training solutions ranging from $2300 seminar-based
training to free, web-based resources:
- American Management Association: Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
- Institute for Health and Human Potential: Emotional Intelligencefor Personal Leadership
- Podcast: Leading with Emotional Intelligence
- A YouTube search for “emotional intelligence training” returns videos and channels offering free video training segments.
- Daniel Goleman is one of the primary contributors to the field of EQ. His website offers resources for understanding emotional intelligence and improving personal scores.
- A GoogleBooks search returns a list of books ranging from scholarly works to practical self-improvement guides.
Practitioners of Taoism, Buddhism, Christianity, and spiritual quests know the secret to improving their EQ, even if
they’ve never heard of it. So do people who have tried to end a bad habit like smoking, unhealthy eating, cursing, or complaining. The secret is being perpetually mindful. The most expensive
EQ training solutions won’t work without mindful awareness of one’s
observations and inner responses. It sounds simpler than it is.
Developing mindful awareness as a sixth sense takes dedication. In the
beginning, many people adopt tricks that serve as a yield signs between the
emotional and rational areas of the brain. Techniques to adopt mindful
awareness can be as challenging as transcendental meditation or as simple as
wearing a rubber band around one’s wrist. Journaling one’s experiences
throughout the day is another common technique.
A higher emotional intelligence and heightened self-awareness will
improve the quality of your communications. There is one last element to being fully
effective. You still must master the mechanics of language and email.
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