Ma te huru huru, Ka rere te manu

With feathers, a bird can fly

Daniel Goleman’s 1995 seminal work ‘Emotional Intelligence’ introduced the concept of EQ (emotional quotient) as opposed to IQ (intelligence quotient) to analyse employee performance. EQ is a measure of the ability to recognise, understand and manage our own emotions and those of others. Goleman suggested there is far more to being successful than high levels of cognitive intelligence and that ‘emotional intelligence’, is twice as important as cognitive intelligence for predicting career success. He suggested high levels of emotional intelligence improve working relationships, help people to develop problem solving skills, increase efficiency and effectiveness and catalyse the development of new strategies. Rather than influencing exam scores or report writing, emotional intelligence influences how we control our own emotions and deal with relationships.

The 5 elements of EQ are:

1. Self-awareness People are comfortable with their own thoughts and emotions and understand how they impact on others. Understanding and accepting the way you feel can be the first step to overcoming it.
2. Self-regulation Control and manage your impulses and emotions. Acting rashly or can lead to mistakes being made which can damage relationships with staff, parents or students.
3. Internal Motivation Being driven by passion for educating young people, rather than just earning money. This leads to sustained motivation and clear decision making.
4. Empathy Not only must you understand your own emotions, but understanding and reacting to the emotions of others is also important. Identifying a certain mood or emotion from a teacher or student and reacting to it can go a long way in developing your relationship.
5. Social Skill This is more than just being friendly. Goleman it as “friendliness with a purpose”, meaning everyone is treated politely and with respect. Healthy relationships lead to positive school culture.

Goleman argues that individuals that adopt these characteristics give themselves a far greater chance of being successful than individuals that do not. However, individuals are not simply born with these skills and they can be learned.

Resources:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bbLWsvDW5o Daniel Goleman on the importance of EQ (2mins) – where he talks about business and customers. Think curriculum and students!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gpn_06NT9w The 10 qualities of an emotionally intelligent person

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auXNnTmhHsk&list=RDLVauXNnTmhHsk&start_radio=1&rv=auXNnTmhHsk&t=6 Travis Bradbury – The power of emotional intelligence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZjqpTsnc3I 4 things emotionally intelligent people don’t do.

Task: Due 28th March 9am

Pick one of the elements of EQ that is a strength and another which is a weakness.

Share your reflections with a colleague and ask them for their advice – What practices could you adopt to grow the weakness into a strength? What impact would this have on your leadership? 

On the forum – post what your biggest ‘takeaway’ from this discussion was.