Emotional Intelligence

Note:

In this series of brief articles, we explain the basic work skills every team member must develop and practice if they want to be engaged and effective at work. If you are a manager, during the annual review process we ask you to rate your team members on these competencies. Use the following brief description...

to solidify your understanding of the skill,
to recall specific examples of your team member's behavior that either exemplify or betray the skill in focus, and
to think of concrete steps they can take to grow in this specific skill.

What is it?

A team member high in emotional intelligence knows how to get along and work with others.

Self-awareness is the ability to understand (be aware of) your own emotions. This awareness is a prerequisite to managing your interactions with others.
Social awareness is understanding the emotions of others. This doesn’t necessarily mean you agree with these emotions, but it does mean you try to comprehend them.
Social awareness focuses on collective attitudes and feelings, not just the attitudes and feelings of individuals.
Self-management is the ability to be honest about what you are feeling (self-awareness) and to then manage these feelings, based on reason, so that they serve a positive purpose.
Emotions are a powerful part of the human design; they motivate and call to action. In their basic form, however, they can be damaging if not tempered with reason and strategy.
Relationship management is the highest expression of emotional intelligence. It leverages the skills of self-awareness, social awareness, and self-management in collaboration with other people to get important things done.
Relationship management involves teamwork, conflict management, leadership, nurturing, and openness. It uses all the self-leadership competencies.

How to rate it

Here is a guide to help you rate your team member using our standard 5-point scale.

The general descriptions below can give you a mental picture of the variance between the different result options, but, because team members and scenarios vary so widely, you should not rigidly rely on them.

Not Met - the team member does not realize how their emotions affect their thinking, interactions, and work. They are also often unaware or choose to ignore, how others are feeling. In general, they are very difficult for most people to work with.
Partially Met - in normal conditions, the team member can get along and work well with others. But once stressed, the team member is obviously controlled by their emotions, leading to poor interactions with others.
Met - the team member is normally level-headed and aware of others' thoughts and feelings. If they are upset about something, they tend to be quiet about it and wait until they can think and speak clearly.
Exceeded - even when they are upset, they can be honest and acknowledge how that is affecting them. They are also aware of the group's morale and emotions, and how that may be influencing their work or decision-making.
Far Exceeded - this team member sets an example for the team on how to be aware of both their own feelings and others. They often work hard to draw out the true thoughts and feelings of others. They help the group navigate healthy conflict to make the best business decisions.