Research in the last 30 years suggests that success is driven by your ability to work with emotions and social skills. It suggests that performance potential is less about an individual’s IQ and more about their Emotional Quotient/Intelligence (EQ). As a business leader, I look for stronger assessments and strategies to develop our recruitment processes, and I have always been intrigued with how we predict performance. Moving from an initial baseline of assessing candidates, to being able to measure improvements in the skills of new team members is critical to a business’ recruitment and workforce development strategies. This prediction allows us to collaborate with others and meet goals with meaning, purpose, and desire to succeed. With a focus on professional development, there is highly reliable and valid means to select and practice an EQ “A-team” and that is from using an EQ-I 2.0 assessment and EQ 360 Report for Workplace and Leadership.
Emotional Intelligence and the Six Second Response
From this assessment search, I was led to a discussion by Joshua Freedman, COO of Six Seconds, a non-profit group dedicated to the study of emotional intelligence. The central message of his talk is that tapping into the power and insight of emotions will help us make better decisions. That’s emotional intelligence.
In other videos from Joshua Freedman, he suggests that there is a compelling six second biological response that defines how long it takes us to broadcast these emotional challenges. His explanation dictates that the brain sends neurons that dock on receptor sites, changing the electrical set point of that cell, and that these new chemicals cascade a flood of emotions. Each burst of chemicals lasts about six seconds.
What this implies is that anything we feel for longer than six seconds – we choose to do. We choose to have those emotions – hot or cold. It means we have a window in time to find the value in ourselves and each other. We have the influence to make the most of this six second burst of energy to enhance how we think and act. Our emotional strengths influence how we approach problem solving, set objectives, remain flexible, manage stress and are able to complete reality testing. Our emotional intelligence helps us solve challenges and practice skills to navigate the complexity in our lives.
This provides an advantage when selecting and building a team that understands how to collaborate and communicate on a deeper level. What’s most significant is that we can change and grow by practising our emotional skills and being aware of how we think, feel and act during interactions with others.
Success is Driven by Transcending our Instincts
The same themes are present in government funding. Government grants and loans are like a burst of energy that should be used to bring an advantage to innovative ways of thinking and enhancing business skills. Incentives serve as a trigger – to do more with less. We find purpose and work with clients that are in the pursuit of change by evaluating government funding programs and putting them into action. Overall, government funding programs have a very solid purpose with impacts of job creation, incremental increase of revenues, and the development of processes and controls for sustaining growth.
Our most successful relationships with clients are those built on mutual dedication to collaboration. Shifting businesses off of autopilot is the only way to stay competitive. We see this with businesses investing in new technologies, revamping their entire production processes, and expanding into new markets. These evolutionary shifts can make our work challenging, by placing increased demands on our emotional and social capabilities. However, our team sees the benefits of being proactive when we connect with business leaders whom envision growth. Their success stems from choosing to anticipate or respond, rather than being forced to react for survival. Both are learning paths that show our choices matter.
The ability to be aware, manage, and read what others are experiencing will allow us to improve our relationships through better communication. This is the ideal behavioural system that our team strives for, and EQ is the main performance measure. If you would like to experience this resilience for your business, please reach out to us for hiring and training, business expansion, research and development, and capital equipment incentives.