Administrative Assistant's Update

5 Administrative Assistant's UPDATE others' emotions to manage interac- tions successfully." In a nutshell, say Emotional Intel- ligence 2.0 co-authors Travis Brad- berry and Jean Greaves, "Emotional intelligence is your ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others, and your ability to use this awareness to manage your behaviour and relationships." While your IQ stays constant throughout your life, emotional intel- ligence can be developed and can be improved with practice. Emotional intelligence is a power- ful force behind workplace perfor- mance as the foundation for a range of critical skills including stress toler- ance, time management, teamwork, trust, accountability, presentation skills and many more. And emotional intelligence has even been connected to levels of pay. According to TalentSmart, "The link between emotional intelligence and earnings is so direct that every point increase in emotional intelligence adds $1,300 to an annual salary." By Staff Research in the late 20th century found that people with average IQs (between 90 and 110) outperformed people with the highest IQs about 70 per cent of the time. How could that be? The answer seems to lie mainly with EQ: emotion - al intelligence. The TalentSmart organization, a leading emotional intelligence consul- tancy based in San Diego, California, tested emotional intelligence as well as 33 other workplace skills. It found that emotional intelligence "is the strongest predictor of performance, explaining a full 58 per cent of success in all types of jobs." In fact, claims the TalentSmart website, "Decades of research now point to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack." Emotional intelligence, says Tal - entSmart, "affects how we manage behaviour, navigate social complexi- ties, and make personal decisions that achieve positive results." It comprises four core skills: (1) self-awareness and (2) self-manage- ment, grouped as personal compe- tence skills; (3) social awareness and (4) relationship management, grouped as social competence skills. Self-awareness refers to your ongo- ing perception of your emotions, says TalentSmart, and self-management is "your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positive- ly direct your behaviour." Social awareness is "your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and understand what is really going on," while relationship management is "your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the Manage anger to strengthen EQ By Staff Taming our anger is one of the steps to raising our EQ. We can't eliminate anger but we can develop tactics to deal with it so we don't later regret something we've said or done in the heat of the moment, something that could damage a relationship or our reputation, says a post on MindTools (www.mindtools.com), a consul - tancy offering "essential skills for an excellent career." When anger starts welling up inside you, here are some things MindTools suggests to keep that anger below the boiling point: Change your environment • Remove yourself from the conflict, give yourself time to calm down. • Avoid situations likely to make you angry. For example, says Mind- Tools, "if you don't like your teammate's messy desk, don't go into her office" • If you regularly do something that makes you angry, find an alterna- tive. If it's a crowded elevator that sets you off, try taking the stairs. Use humour • Try to see the funny side of the situation. • Learn to laugh at yourself. • Smile, because "it's hard to be angry with a smile on your face." Calm yourself physically • Concentrate on your breathing; take slow, deep breaths. • Tighten and release small muscle groups: hands, legs, back, toes. • Visualize a calm place or situation. EQ sets star performers apart, can be improved with practice

• Cover