Emotional Intelligence

Using Emotional Intelligence (EQ) to Increase Leadership Effectiveness
"Business leaders are no longer being defined by their IQ's or even their technical skills. It is their emotional intelligence that makes the difference."
"It is rarely for the lack of smarts or vision. Most unsuccessful leaders stumble because of one simple, fatal shortcomings" "The failure is one of emotional strength."
Fortune Magazine June 1999


What is Emotional Intelligence?

"Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a compelling concept that has started to gather momentum in organizations across the globe. The term EQ was coined in 1985 by Dr. Reuven Bar-On, an Israeli psychologist. He sought to answer the question: Are there factors that determine one's ability to succeed in life? Over a period of 17 years, he has gathered more scientifically validated data worldwide than anyone else in the field of emotional intelligence.

According to Dr. Bar-On, Emotional Intelligence is our ability to recognize, understand and use emotions to cope with ourselves, others and the environment. Other core concepts about emotional intelligence are:
EQ is a set of "non-cognitive abilities" that influence your ability to get on in life;
EQ works synergistically with IQ to enhance performance;
EQ can be learned;
EQ can be measured; and
EQ is what differentiates exceptional from mediocre performance."

Research Provided by: Multi- Health Systems, Inc.- North Tonawanda, NY


1. EQ Predicts Top Performance
"Studies of close to 500 organizations worldwide indicate that people who score highest on EQ measures rise to the top of corporations. Among other things, these "star performers" possess more interpersonal skills and confidence than "regular employees" who receive less favorable performance reviews. Why Organizations Care About Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

2. Studies Reveal that EQ is the Key to Excellence in Leadership
"Analysis of over 500 competency studies around the world determined that 80% of leadership effectiveness involved emotional intelligence."

3. EQ Helps You Select Top Performers and Reduce Turnover
"Research on 181 job descriptions at 121 companies worldwide showed that 2 out of 3 abilities vital for success were behavioral competencies such as trustworthiness, adaptability and a talent for cooperation."

Research Provided by: Multi- Health Systems, Inc.- North Tonawanda, NY


Our Simple Goal: To Increase the Effectiveness of People to
Improve Organizational Performance

We believe that recognizing the importance of Emotional Intelligence in the workplace and making efforts to develop it within employees is a critical step towards reducing risks and enhancing overall organizational performance. The emotional maturity of employees directly impacts not only their behavior at work - reducing and resolving employee conflicts, increasing individual responsibility and ownership for a job well done, improving team effectiveness, enhancing leadership potential - but also their behavior in their personal lives with their family and friends. How well do they manage relationships? How well do they manage their emotions?


Our Program

While research tells us that Emotional Intelligence or EQ can be developed, we at Leading Challenges believe that several factors are necessary for implementing a successful Emotional Intelligence training program.

1. EQ Assessment
Leading Challenges uses the BarOn Emotional Quotient Inventory to help individuals identify potential areas of development and to measure the effectiveness of the Emotional Intelligence training program. The EQi measures one's ability to deal with daily environmental demands and pressures and helps predict one's success in life, including professional and personal pursuits. It renders scores in the following EQ components:
Emotional Self-awareness/Problem Solving
Assertiveness/Flexibility
Self-Regard/Reality Testing
Self-Actualization/Stress Tolerance
Independence/Impulse Control
Empathy/Optimism
Interpersonal Relationships/Happiness
Social Responsibility

The EQi has undergone over 19 years of research and has been tested on over 85,000 individuals worldwide. The BarOn EQi is the premier scientific measure of emotional intelligence.

2. EQ Coaching
Each individual who completes the EQi will receive a one-hour feedback session in order to help them interpret their results. The Leading Challenges coach and the individual will identify development areas to explore and improve in their EQ training, and at the office.
(If your organization desires more on-going EQ coaching, other than the initial feedback session, Leading Challenges will work with you to design the most appropriate coaching solution. We have provided organizations with long-term Leading Challenges coaches and we have helped organizations develop EQ coaches to continue this important work.)

3. EQ Training
Developing Emotional Intelligence takes focused reflection, facilitated group interaction, and the opportunity to see your self in action… away from the regular work environment. Leading Challenges concentrates on self-awareness and skill development in five Emotional Components, as identified by Dr. Reuven Bar-On: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Adaptability, Stress Management and General Mood.

Adventure-based learning provides the forum for self-awareness and skill development of one's Emotional Intelligence. Adventure simply means, "situations where the outcome is unknown," which is an excellent playing field for EQ development. All activities will be facilitated toward a greater understanding of the EQ model. Individuals will learn how to use these activities to concentrate on specific EQ development areas as identified by their EQi results.


Personal Effectiveness I

This 3-day intensive workshop provides participants with the opportunity to view themselves through the EQ model and to work on specific EQ development goals. Much of the workshop is spent helping individuals become skilled in the process of self-awareness, so that they are able to identify the feelings and behaviors they exhibit that produce desirable or undesirable results. The course is designed so that individuals can work on their specific EQ learning focus. Personal Effectiveness I stresses development in the following EQ components: Intrapersonal: Emotional Self-awareness, Assertiveness, Self-Actualization, Self-Regard, Independence, Adaptability: Problem Solving, Reality Testing, Flexibility, General Mood: Happiness, Optimism


Personal Effectiveness II

This 3-day workshop provides participants with opportunities to further develop their EQ. We continue to focus on the Intrapersonal, Adaptability and General Mood components of EQ, but put additional emphasis on the Interpersonal components: Empathy, Social Responsibility and components,
Interpersonal Relationships and Stress Management: Stress Tolerance and Impulse Control . Once again, adventure-based learning is the forum for development.


EQ Skills Training

Leading Challenges provides follow-up skills training in all of the 15 EQ components. These workshops and coaching sessions are designed to meet the development needs of the organization. One of our most popular workshops focuses on the Interpersonal EQ component of empathy, a skill that is critical to the success of sales professionals.