Based on your feedback and discussions with students, I (along with my teaching assistant Dante Vasquez) have decided on a format for my UofM Ross Class for juniors and seniors on “Managing Professional Relationships”.
Emotional intelligence will be the key focus of the curriculum. Why EQ? Research shows that EQ is the best predictor of success in the work place. According to Travis Bradley, author of Emotional Intelligence 2.0, their research has found that “90% of top performers are skilled at managing their emotions in times of stress in order to remain calm and in control.”
Throughout my career, I have worked with leaders in highly stressful situations. In the most stressful, including post-September 11th in New York City and Rwanda after the genocide, I have found that the leaders with exceptional personal skills have been the most successful at managing the crises.
To evaluate your own emotional intelligence, here are four key questions to ask yourself:
- Do you demonstrate a strong sense of self-awareness?
- Do you have a strong capacity for empathy?
- Are you in control of your negative emotions: especially anger and fear?
- Are you able to develop and maintain exceptional relationships with others from all walks of life?
If you can answer each of these positively, you are most likely a person with high EQ. However, since people are notoriously inaccurate self-reporters, to get a true understanding of your EQ level, it is crucial to ask others how you measure up on these four questions. “Others” should include: significant others, children, friends, direct reports, peers, and supervisors.
In the course, I will strive to teach the competencies of emotional intelligence. This leads me to an important question for you: In your experience, do you believe that the competencies of emotional intelligence can be taught and learned or are people born and raised with these ingrained by the time they reach adulthood?