Emotional Intelligence A Key to Effective Nursing Leadership Note 1: Daniel, L. (14 June 1999). Intelligent managers in tune with workplace stresses. Federal Times. 16.

What is Intelligence? Typically focused on analytic reasoning verbal skills spatial ability attention memory judgment Murky concept with definitions by many experts... The intelligence test was a primary step in the development of the applied branches of psychology. Educational psychologists stimulated the applied nature of educational psychology by using the intelligence test as a way to help them group children to make teaching more effective. Personnel managers saw the intelligence test as a way to keep less efficient and effective workers off the payroll. To the 19th Century psychologist, intellectual ability was an intriguing research possibility. The idea that there may be individual variations in ability or that the focus of teaching should be learning weren’t yet developed. In 1904, the French Minister of Public Instruction became concerned about the children in Parisian schools who were unable to profit from the given instruction. He wanted to devise a plan to develop schools for such children but needed a method to identify them. Alfred Binet, a psychologist studying individual differences and mental abilities, produced a list of thirty tasks, in a range of difficulty, normed the tasks and thus developed the first of the recognized standardized intelligence tests. Subsequent tests and subsequent developments drew in to “intelligence” a variety of additional factors: creativity, environment, heredity, social stimulation, age, and personality factors. It was the Army which caused intelligence testing to come to the public eye--through its intelligence testing of soldiers. The term, “IQ” became an accepted popular term and again spurred on the development of the various branches of applied psychology.

But What We know about IQ A weak predictor for achievement job performance success overall success, wealth, & happiness Accounts for a major component of employment success according to numbers of studies covering career success; maybe as much as 20-25%.

More potent predictors of career success were Ability to handle frustrations manage own emotions manage own social skills Do you know any highly intelligent people who aren’t socially adept?

What is Emotional Intelligence (EI)? Daniel Goleman 1998 The capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships. Based on Goleman’s book (1995), Emotional Intelligence Daniel Goleman is a writer; not a researcher. As a writer he had the gift of explaining the research to others. He is also a psychologist.

The 5 Components of EI Daniel Goleman Goleman’s Categories Self-Awareness Self-Regulation Self-Motivation Social Awareness Social Skills Another way to express the framework comes directly from Goleman’s work (available from www.eiconsortium.org) is: Personal Competence Self-Awareness emotional awareness accurate self assessment self-confidence Self-Regulation self control trustworthiness conscientiousness adaptability innovation Self-Motivation achievement drive commitment initiative optimism Social Competence Social Awareness empathy service orientation developing others leveraging diversity political awareness Social Skills influence communication leadership change catalyst conflict management building bonds collaboration and cooperation team capabilities

Look at the arrows…

PERSONAL COMPETENCIES SELF AWARENESS knowing what we are feeling , using this in decision making, being realistic about our abilities and self confident in a grounded way SELF REGULATION managing our emotions to help us get things done, recovering well from upset, being prepared to wait for results SELF MOTIVATION using our values to guide us towards challenge goals, persevering in the face of setbacks, taking the initiative and being flexible to achieve results adapted from DANIEL GOLEMAN 1998

EMPATHY SOCIAL COMPETENCIES sensing others’ feelings, needs and concerns and understanding different perspectives SOCIAL SKILLS influencing others, building relationships, managing conflict, persuading and leading, enabling co-operation and teamwork

Managing one’s own emotions EI is like a smoke alarm--we’re not good at influencing whether a particular emotion will arise. EI tells us something is arising. We do have tremendous individual variability in the degree to which we can consciously limit the duration of unpleasant emotions and the degree of influence over the behaviors which may arise. anger worry melancholy Distraction Reframing Self regulation

Nursing Leadership Questions Related to Emotional Intelligence which are your EI strengths? which are important to you? which do you want to develop? what would success in the skill look like? how could you develop the skill?

References Goleman, D. (1998). Emotional Intelligence. New York: Bantam Publishers. Goleman, D. (2006). Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ. New York: Bantam Publishers.