Emotional Quotient

Emotional Quotient (EQ) is the emotional comparable of an IQ, in understanding, and empathizing with the emotions of others. We all know those around us that are really easy to talk to and empathetic; these are the individuals with high EQ.  We of course know those who are self-centred and could not really care less but they may pretend out of showing tact or for business reasons; and these people are quite low in EQ. 

EQ – even though not familiar to everyone – is actually an important part of success throughout our lives and careers.  Think about it.  Most people are naturally drawn to those with high EQ in doing business.  Something as simple as shopping.  I am sure you have dealt with people at the cash register while paying who actually care as well as those who don’t care.  Which one are you drawn to go to most? I personally stand in a longer line up if I know the person checking me out is pleasant.

Which doctor are you going to like more the empathetic one, or the one who wants you in and out fast?  Which mate are you attracted to more, the one who listens, cares and understands; or the one who could not care less? And the list of course goes on.  Our success in anything we do is very much dependent on reading other people’s signals and appropriately reacting to them.

Without mature EQ skills, we fail in motivating those around us, whether at work, social environment or at home.

For us to have proper levels of EQ, there are few requirements:

·        We need to become self-aware.  The ability to identify an emotion as it happens.  At this point I am talking about your own emotion, evaluating and managing it and understanding its effects on others. 

·        We need to be self-confident in understanding our own worth and abilities. To be trust-worthy, honest, responsible, and conscientious.

·         Be adaptable and flexible. This will also allow us to manage change better.

·         Be truly empathetic.  Faking empathy is quite detectable.  The more skillful you are in recognizing other person’s feelings, the better you can control your signals to them. This also improves your social skills at a tremendous rate, in turn it give you a power of influence.

·         Improve your communication skills.  Listen to understand not just to answer.

IQ is hardly enough for success at any level.  Psychologists agree that only 10% of success is based on IQ and the rest is dependent on EQ. 

Regards,

EL

Employee Value

Looking at the articles online and otherwise, all you can find is how to motivate and reward your employees. No one ever looks at the many abusive employers that are hiding behind the veil of righteousness.  I have had the chance to council few laid off employees as well as the ones’ who left on their own accord and all I can hear is the nightmare of abusive behaviour, nepotism, favouritism, micro-management, unrealistic expectations, bullying, intimidation and so on. You would think at a day and age that we produce movies such as Star Trek, to show human advancement and understanding for “life” and all that it entails, as well as the value of emotional quotient and learning as opposed to all above-mentioned behaviour, we have grown out of these prejudices.

I am all for young CEO’s, VP’s and Senior managers, but it seems that all the values that we held near and dear to our hearts are disappearing fast.  Companies have grown to devalue their employees, as if they would continue being even if they are no longer around.  Employees don’t value and respect the companies they work for because they are not being treated right. We have forgotten that the same employee can also be a client or a customer.  Human values have been replaced with value for money and the bottom line. But where would the companies be without employees or customers? Would they exist? Would they need to?

Laying off knowledgeable, dedicated, level headed employees to bring someone you favour into a position still goes on.  The only difference is the long and fine prints in the contracts before one is hired, and within the severance agreement that prohibits many to come forward and tell their story.  Employees that are frustrated at work seem to take the frustration home and lay it on family members whom they feel the closest with.  This in turn, ruins relationships and home life. 

There seems to be an increasing need for those we hire as CEO, VP, SVP, or Manager, to go through some serious training; not in the area of their knowledge, so much as in the area of human behaviour and needs.  Happy employees – whether you like them or not – are productive employees.  Employee happiness goes beyond little rewards and wage increase.  Most are happy to be just appreciated. Let’s take action and get out of the kindergarten of employee management.

Regards,

EL

Effective Writing

Having worked in corporate environment most of my life, I have seen many poor documents.  Organizations tend to expect their technical team to write the technical documents, and this does not always pay off.  Simply for this reason that having the knowledge of something does not mean you can also explain it well-enough for the layman to read and understand. 

Technical people most of the time – knowing the subject inside out – will leave the details out, because they feel everyone else would already know them and there is no need to rehash.  To me, a well-documented process, procedure or description is one that anyone off the street can read and fully understand.

Manuals that do not explain the step-by-steps in a proper manner and are not easy to follow,   are only good as a collector’s item or paper-weight.  Here I would like to offer a few hints in creating useful documents:

1.       Try not to end your sentences with adverbs; and instead use them mid-sentence.

2.      Using too many adjectives, may sound too biased.

3.      Use passive voice only when absolutely necessary.

4.      When using acronyms for the first time in the document, fully write it out and for any consecutive times that the acronym is used, have a reference glossary.

5.      Use words in their full form.  For example say, “Was not” instead of “Wasn’t”, or “Could not” instead of “Couldn’t”. 

6.      Try and make your sentences as short as you can. One description per sentence; and preferably one description per paragraph.

7.      Use simple words that are easily understood by anyone and do not require a dictionary.

8.      Especially in technical writing, try not to use pronouns like “I”.  Make your sentences in third person.

9.      Make your documentation look consistent where comma, colon, and semicolon are concerned.

10.   Have a template to follow, to make it easier for the reader to know what to expect next.  For example consider the following sections:

a.      Title page (the title of the document, the author);

b.      Revision table (who worked on the document, when, why, what did they add to it?);

c.       Table of contents;

d.      Introduction or Summary;

e.      The body of the document;

f.        Glossary of terms.

Happy Writing!

EL

Importance of the Exit Interview

“Good bye! Nice knowing you! Wish you luck in your new endeavour.” Is hardly considered an exit interview.  The most important part of an exit interview is to gain valuable information, which can prove to be quite useful in all aspects of business operation and work environment. 

Letting someone walk away, with all the knowledge they have gathered through months and years, hardly seems sane.  All organizations need to conduct an exit interview, whether the employee is being laid off or just moving on.  Organizations have become comfortable in their skin so much so that they feel public perception no longer matters.  An employee leaving a company, always has a personal perception of the company and whether or not they are competent in their operations, procedures and processes.  Getting to understand their view point can eliminate a lot of negative feedback. 

As a business owner or simply a senior manager or executive, you never really know, who your previous employees associate with and what effects they may have on your future business.  Once an employee leaves an organization, they are far more likely to open up and be honest in providing feedback in how the organization is run.

By keeping a record of outcome of these interviews, over a period of time, employers can begin to identify trends and patterns; after all most employees, very likely end up getting their career continued in another organization, which may be a major competitor.  The person’s perception of the management is one of the main concern.  Managers, even though not business owners, can make or break an organization, due to their lack of management knowledge, lack of emotional quotient, and bad decisions. 

An exit interview should classically be conducted by HR who is not directly involved with the individual. This allows for neutrality, as well as the chance for the individual to be able to voice their concerns and bellyaches, without feeling awkward or vulnerable in any way. The individual is far more likely to open up and be truthful, if they are talking to someone who is unbiased, and not someone they have been working with on a day to day basis.

This also presents an opportunity to better understand the process of hand-over of what the individual was responsible for and smooth transitioning for the sake of the organization and their clients.

It is a misconception that a person needs to go through exit interview prior to walking out.  In fact, the best time to do an exit interview is anywhere from one month to even up to a year after the person has left their position. At this point of course, it is not useful to find out what properly was or was not handed over.  In my experience, former employees are always enthusiastic to partake, and give very valued feedback. In general, people like to be asked and this may even introduce doubt in what they perceived about the manager or the organization in general. 

 

Here are some of the questions that I think may prove to be valuable:

1.        Overall, how did you find your experience working on this team?

2.       What did you like about it?

3.       What could have been better?

4.      Did you receive enough training and support to do your job effectively? 

5.       Was there a mentorship program available to you for your career path?

6.      Did you receive sufficient feedback about your performance between reviews? 

7.       Did any policies or procedures (or any other obstacles) make your job more difficult? 

8.      How would you describe the services of this organization?

9.      What was the management style and in what way could this improve?

10.    Was all or most of the responsibilities properly handed over?

11.     Did you get a chance to post all the important documentation you created or worked on, where it can be easily accessed?

12.    If there was one thing to improve in this organization, what would that be?

13.    Were your peers happy in their positions?

14.    What did you find to be a main pain-point to all? (The water-cooler conversations).

15.    Would you recommend this company to anyone looking for a position?

16.    Would you recommend this company to any business for services they provide?

 

All the Best,

EL

 

Errors We Make – Part V

We are used to celebrating the major change efforts sometimes a bit prematurely.  You have all seen the movies, where the hero saves the person from the monster’s captivity and they start celebration and embracing right there and then instead of completing the getaway, and then, the monster wakes up and beats up the hero a bit more before it is actually over.

While celebrating is good, any suggestion of the project completion is a bad idea, if it is made prematurely.  Some changes take quite a bit of time to sink into the old culture.  New approaches are always quite delicate and subject to relapse. 

After an early celebration, we feel as if the war is over and the troops are sent home.  Exhausted troops let themselves believe that the victory is at hand and once home, they will be quite reluctant to return to the front line.  Soon after this, the change comes to halt and old traditions tiptoe their way back in.

EL

Errors We Make - Part IV

Most major change implementations require action from a great number of people. One of the reasons why some changes fail is due to the fact that even though the employees have bought into the change vision, they have not been properly empowered. Sometimes the hindrance can be the organizational structure. Rewards or performance appraisal could force some employees to choose between the vision and the self-interest.  One well-placed blocker can undermine the efforts of all and stop the whole change effort.

Whenever smart and well-intentioned management avoid confronting hurdles, they dis-empower employees and destabilize the entire change. Also real transformations take time. There is a gestation period for everything. Lacking short term goals can cause for the whole change to lose momentum, if there is no win to celebrate. Without short term wins many employees give up or join the resistance.

Managers need to enthusiastically look for ways to attain clear performance improvements and achieve these objectives; rewarding those involved through recognition or promotion.  Don’t be caught up so much so with the grand vision that you forget about the quick wins.  

Defining clear short term wins, removes complacency and encourages employees into detailed and analytical thinking, which can be useful in the clarification and revision of the change vision.

EL