In 2020, we have witnessed massive changes in society. Most of all, the “social revolution” has been experienced and continues to be experienced by leaders who daily communicate with dozens or hundreds of subordinates who are under stress.
All they can do is lean on emotional intelligence and show empathy for the employees of their company. To understand exactly what business processes are affected by emotional intelligence, how managers should develop it, and what results to expect, the editors of the Web promo blog turned to Liana Gabulyan, an emotional intelligence (EQ) trainer and head of consulting at the international company Business Constructor .
Liana, hello! A few years ago, showing emotions in the workplace was considered taboo. Especially when we are talking about leadership positions. Many have formed a stereotype that the boss should be tough, demanding, and dissatisfied with his subordinates. At what point did everything change? And why is the ability to recognize emotions and manage them now one of the key components of effective management?
– Hello! The term “emotional intelligence” first appeared in the second half of the 20th century. Since the 1960s, the results of research on the development of emotional intelligence (EQ) have featured in the work of psychologists. However, the topic received maximum resonance in wide circles after the publication in 1995 of Daniel Goleman’s book “Emotional Intelligence”. It was on the New York Times bestseller list for a year and a half. The Harvard Business Review, The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and others have further cited Goleman’s work as one of the most influential in the business community.
But, speaking of the moment at which everything changed, it is worth clarifying in which country. If in Ukraine, then based on my experience of communication in business circles, we can say that out of 100 companies, 80 have not heard anything about emotional intelligence . Therefore, in this regard, it is too early to say that everything has changed in our country. But we already have some decent training programs that give you the opportunity to get familiar with the subject and start your EQ journey.
Why does the ability to recognize and manage emotions affect the effectiveness of managers? Largely because these skills allow managers to be more focused on business goals and do not allow them to make hasty incorrect decisions under the influence of their own emotions or the emotions of other people. Hundreds of studies have confirmed the impact of developing EQ skills on managerial performance. If to say that I personally appreciate and highlight as the biggest advantage of developed emotional intelligence, it is a higher level of awareness that helps the manager in making decisions and daily managing the company.
How did you develop this skill in yourself? Is there a limit to the development of emotional intelligence? What situations prompted you to start working on EQ, and in what situations were you finally able to appreciate the usefulness of this skill? Very interesting examples from your professional experience.
– At some point in my career, a large number of negotiations appeared with people of different scales and statuses. Over time, I began to notice that I was not always effective in these negotiations, largely due to the reaction that I had in response to some proposals of the interlocutor. I clearly understood that I was losing in negotiations because I did not manage my emotions well.
I went to study – first in negotiations, and after another six months – emotional competence for managers. In the process of training, we were immersed in such a variety of tools for working with emotions that I realized that this was only the beginning of the journey. Then I looked for longer training programs, but I didn’t find anything worthy in Kyiv, so I decided to go to weekly individual sessions with a psychologist. In this mode, I worked for another 2.5 years, analyzing emerging cases and honing my skills in managing emotions.
I felt the first stable results after a year. They expressed themselves with a more comfortable feeling. In solving issues of different levels of responsibility and stress. In better management of the negotiation process and your condition. In the easier achievement of desirable results. In a better understanding of the needs and emotions of other people.
Over time, I began to share my knowledge and skills with colleagues, friends, and acquaintances, to help them solve their situations. So little by little I began to consult individually, helping people to better understand themselves and others through working with emotions.
As for the limits of development, I think there are still many interesting discoveries ahead that will affect what we consider important for the effectiveness of managers and how to develop it. So while our brains are mostly a mystery, we have a limited understanding of our limits.
– Which of the business parameters does the high EQ of managers have a direct impact on? And what are the consequences of the lack of this skill among managers?
– I can say with confidence that the developed EQ skills of managers affect the atmosphere of work and the motivational climate in the company.
There is a rather bright and hackneyed phrase: “come in the company, leave the leaders.” Why are leaders leaving? Because it is uncomfortable, and not good, the employee does not feel valued, does not feel that his contribution is recognized, his ideas are heard and his initiatives are supported. All of this affects the turnover of employees in the company, and this affects the costs of finding, adapting, and nurturing new employees.
Also, developed EQ skills help the company’s management to be more united in solving the tasks. This affects overall performance and efficiency.
– Where is the boundary, for example, between empathy for a subordinate and excessive gentleness? How to use EQ so that employees trust you as a leader, but at the same time not lose credibility?
“ Probably, there is a boundary between developing the skill of empathy and a mature approach to achieving business goals, a clear understanding of the roles and responsibility for the result of each team member. I think trust arises when your employees feel that you care about them, hear them, help them, and, at the same time, you are fair in the requirements for the result. As for authority, if you mean respect for employees, it is earned by achieving results in business.
– Millennials, as it is now fashionable to call those born between 1985 and 2004, make up the bulk of ordinary employees of companies. Also, the business is about to start hiring generation Z. Do managers need to take into account the “epoch” of their subordinates, building relationships with them? Do you see differences in personal values and expectations from employment across generations?
– It is important for a manager to take into account all the contexts that affect the result. And the motives and values of their employees as well. To summarize, speaking of generations, we are talking about facing differences. And in this case, it is important for us to always keep the focus on the goals of the business and unite people based on a common desire to solve this particular problem. And the skills of empathy and attentiveness to other people will help the manager create the necessary conditions so that representatives of different generations feel comfortable in the process of solving the problem.
At the moment, there were no employees born in the 2000s in my teams, and you can probably say that all my teams were within the same generation.
– Is it important to you that your subordinates also have a high level of EQ? Does it help their career? If yes, how do you define the indicator? Can it be assessed at the interview stage?
― An employee with developed EQ skills can take on more responsibility and handle it effectively, and this helps him in his quest for career advancement.
If we talk about whether it is important for subordinates to have developed EQ, then it depends on what role the employee occupies in the company. If he manages teams or his work involves a lot of negotiations, then this is important. I look, first of all, at the comfort of interaction with an employee, the number of conflict situations that arise with an employee, and his ability to control his reaction. For example, to be able to withstand criticism, adequately respond in a stressful situation, remain calm despite a tense dialogue, etc. In an interview, it is difficult to simulate a huge variety of situations that an employee may encounter, so it is important to carefully look at the employee at the stage of adaptation when he manifests himself in different situations.
– Unhealthy competition among company employees is a common cause of internal conflicts. How do you handle such situations? What advice can you give colleagues to create a sense of security and comfort within the team?
– First of all, in order to create any kind of atmosphere, a sincere desire of the leader is necessary and he realizes that in his business, in order to achieve goals, a sense of security and comfort in the team is necessary. This may not be true for all businesses. It is especially important to ensure safety and comfort at a time when an employee/team is having a hard time, having a hard time or making a mistake. Depending on how the manager reacts, the employee will feel safe or not. To do this, the leader needs to learn to manage their emotions and feel what other people are experiencing. Then he will be able to understand how to respond, communicate and build the most comfortable atmosphere in the team.
In my practice of consulting on EQ, there was such a case: the client was in a tense relationship with his colleague, and there was internal competition, which clearly crossed the line of sanity. Everything was decided by one sincere conversation between these colleagues. It sounds simple, but in order to mature for this conversation, the client prepared for several months, first avoiding, then fearing, then postponing. The problem is that people tend to invent a problem for themselves, wind it up, demonize an opponent and suffer fruitfully for a long time about this, being in an unhealthily competitive relationship. To mature for such a conversation, you need to allow yourself the thought: “Maybe I’m wrong? Maybe everything, in fact, is not the way I think? And then come to the thought – “I’d better ask in person.” This is a huge step towards a new relationship where there is support and there is no place for unhealthy competition.
– There was also an opinion that having a high EQ is much more important for building a career than an outstanding IQ. Do you agree with this? Why do you think the priorities have shifted so much, and the emotional background of the team has become much more significant than the knowledge of each individual employee?
There are many studies that support this thesis. It’s hard to disagree. Perhaps, we are ahead of discoveries that will interpret the impact of any skills on business results in a completely different way.
We live in a world where one person cannot do much, do something big. A big story always involves a lot of people.
The world is becoming more transparent. To solve complex creative problems, it is important to unite in groups and interact effectively together. It is in this situation that all the skills of emotional intelligence are more important than ever: from understanding and managing your emotions to building quality relationships with other people. That is, to be able to manage yourself, hear a colleague/partner and invest in your relationship in order to achieve the goal that united you.
“Now let’s talk about clients. How does emotional intelligence help build consumer brand loyalty?
– Probably, this opportunity appears most clearly at the stage of interaction with the company through employees who are involved in direct communication with customers. And any point conflict situation with its qualitative solution can significantly increase consumer loyalty to the brand . And EQ skills at times increase the ability to qualitatively resolve a conflict situation.
I consulted employees who are directly involved in working with clients. We analyzed cases that caused a storm of emotions and did not allow us to behave correctly. After it becomes clear to a person what actually caused his violent reaction, what was behind it, what the client’s need was, what the client actually tried to achieve, the person’s perception of the situation changes dramatically and, accordingly, his reaction. And with each consultation, clients note that they are less influenced by stressful situations because their attitude towards these situations has changed. Such employees are worth their weight in gold for companies, they are able not only to manage their reactions but also adequately solve customer requests.
– How often do you communicate with the company’s clients and in what format does this happen? Do you use any special techniques to increase the effectiveness of such communications, or are you guided solely by your own inner feelings?
– I use the same principles in dealing with people in professional interaction. It is important for me to create constructive dialogue, a respectful attitude, and an environment in which everyone is interested in giving more value to each other. For me, the technique is secondary, much more important is “basic settings” – a sincere desire to cooperate and try to achieve high results. And techniques, be it active listening or the ability to politely refuse, are secondary, but integral to achieving the final result.
– Can you give a real example of how high EQ has a positive impact on the reputation of the company or the solution to any unforeseen situations with customers?
– There are many good cases described in D. Goleman’s book “Emotional Leadership”. For example, a case from the BBC story about the closure of one of the divisions. It is described how the perception of the news by the team affects, depending on HOW the leader tells them this news. It vividly illustrates how important the emotional message with which management informs employees about complex and life-changing decisions is for the company and its reputation.
I can share a huge number of cases from my practice and the practice of my clients. But the essence will be the same: when a person begins to study his emotions, the cause of their occurrence, tries to figure out what other people feel and why – he sees a completely different picture. And this new look allows a person to be many times more effective in their work with clients. Therefore, companies will always be interested in employees who work with clients and have good EQ skills.
“Today, many brands prefer to use chatbots in communication with customers, especially in the B2C segment. But after all, they have no empathy for the interlocutor, robots recognize the essence rather than the emotional component. What do you think about this? Can such “artificial” communication negatively affect the work of the company?
― Depends on the field of activity of the companies. There are companies on the market that build communications with customers by investing in both bots and staff. They prescribe a business process in which a live employee connects to the communication and solves the client’s problem if necessary. I think that the further spread of the use of chatbots is inevitable, but it is important to correctly build business processes for working with clients.
– Summing up, I would like to ask you a philosophical question. Which future is more effective for business – high-tech or human, with high emotional involvement?
“ We already see that many processes are being automated — robots will largely replace human labor. But, one way or another, in business, a person will have to solve complex creative problems. This means that we will need to unite in groups of highly qualified employees. And where there are groups, emotional intelligence skills will be relevant.
