Enhancing the Emotional Intelligence (EI) or Emotional Quotient (EQ) of the company’s employees can simultaneously address many performance challenges. From a traditional business perspective emotional factors are overlooked when considering interventions to improve performance. However, the dimensional performance model I developed over time and describe in this article reveals how emotions play a more important role in people’s performance than traditional factors.

For years I have worked with a model depicting the factors that impact people’s performance. A colleague once referred to my model as “probably the best tool ever for illustrating why people do or don’t perform as desired.” The model he so generously praised was my original model that, over several years I learned was flawed. It failed to include emotions as the most critical factor affecting people’s performance.

As a result of experience, I have improved my model by adding a new dimension that includes emotions as a factor that impacts all areas of performance. This new, dimensional model presents a more accurate view of the significant importance of emotions.

The original model was a one-dimensional nine-box grid (3 boxes by 3 boxes), reflecting my Engineering background. Each box identified a set of factors affecting performance with the level identifying those who traditionally have the most influence – executives, managers, and individual performers. While some 30 factors affecting performance were identified within my model, the most critical factor, emotions, was not adequately represented.

According to more resent research emotions may be more important than other factors when it comes to people’s performance. In fact, when we receive a sensory input, we process it through our emotional center first. And, before we send it on to be processed in our rational mind, the neocortex, we attach an emotional meaning to the input. (Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, 1995) So our emotional center serves as a gatekeeper that ultimately influences how we perceive and respond to every input. The information we have (or don’t have) to do our work, every assignment we are given (and how it is given), our workload, our physical environment (noise, lighting, temperature), and so on etc. has an emotional meaning attached to it.

After discovering the dramatic affect of emotions on people’s performance, I revised my original model, incorporating a third dimension – the dimension of Emotion. While this new, dimensional model still included the original 30 “Head” factors affecting performance, with the new dimension of depth, it more accurately depicted the critical importance of emotion – affecting all factors as well as energy, productivity, mental clarity and more. To illustrate this relationship, consider how people might feel with an announcement of a downsizing. Their negative feelings might result in a decline in morale, quality and productivity. On the other hand consider how you feel when someone genuinely praises you on your work. In most cases, people would feel positively and would be more likely to put forth extra effort, going beyond what is expected.

Let’s examine the Emotional dimension of the revised model in more detail. The Emotional dimension of the model is a continuum – on one end is Fear; on the other Appreciation. Negative emotions such as anger, fear and frustration can hamer performance. On the other hand when people feel appreciated and cared for, the resulting positive emotions can facilitate performance. This is what people really want. They want to feel that people care about their work and about them; they want to know that they are appreciated for their contributions. People can’t check their emotions at the door when the come to work and then pick them up on the way home. Our emotions – our hearts – are with us at all times.

It’s distressing when one considers that we’ve spent so much time and effort focusing on the factors in my rational, two-dimensional, “Head” model. It’s not that these factors aren’t important – they are. However, we’ve been missing a huge piece of the solution to improving people’s performance when we disregard emotions. The significant results achieved by developing people’s Emotional Intelligence skills presents a compelling argument to the accuracy of the “Head/Heart” model as a more powerful tool when identifying interventions to improve performance.

About the Author

Tailoring the art and science of Emotional Intelligence Training to your needs, Byron Stock focuses on results, helping individuals and organizations enhance Emotional Intelligence competence, leadership competencies and core values. With enhanced Emotional Intelligence skills organizations and individuals are better equipped to lead change, achieve strategic objectives and create resilient, high performing organizational cultures. Learn about Byron’s easy, quick, proven techniques to harness the power of your Emotional Intelligence in his new book, SMART EMOTIONS for Busy Business People available through his website www.ByronStock.com.

Helping people enhance their Emotional Intelligence (EI) competence can offer an organization significant benefits that can ultimately positively impact the bottom line. Leaders and employees can make better decisions and take more appropriate action when they are able to access both theirs and other’s emotions. These actions and decisions can directly impact the organization’s customers and business results.

In 1994, Heskett et. al. identified a group of factors driving company profitability (HBR “Putting the Service-Profit Chain to Work”). Their work remains relevant today as it provides a model describing how a business’s profitability is dependent upon effective leadership. The leader’s emotions determine the company’s culture and climate. More specifically, the leader’s emotions impact how and what employees feel which, in turn, determines their satisfactions with their company and their work, which, in turn, drives how loyal, efficient and productive they are.

The chain of events continues as the employee’s emotions and efficiency and productivity affect customer satisfaction and, ultimately, customer loyalty. In the end, how loyal customers are directly impacts business results.

This set of relationships is driven by the leader’s emotions. The leader is not necessarily the CEO, Vice President or Director. The leader is the individual in charge of any team, staff, supervisor, manager, etc. Self-leadership, then, becomes one of the most important skills to focus on. It is the internal ability to lead oneself to make the best choices, exhibit the most appropriate behaviors, or take the best actions.

People don’t park their emotions at the door. All employees and the customers they serve are affected by both positive and negative emotions. For example, when employees experience negative emotions, the result might be lack of trust and teamwork, more errors, poor quality, increased turnover, low morale and more. This would compromise employee performance, business objectives and key initiatives. These events may lead to decreased customer satisfaction, increased customer complaints and ultimately customer defection. In the end, profitability would be compromised.

The value of developing Emotional Intelligence abilities is supported by additional research. Daniel Goleman, author of the best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence, reported that EI was twice as important as other factors for excellent performance He also found that EI factors rather than cognitive factors made up 90% of the difference in the profiles between average performers and star performers (HBR Nov./Dec., 1998). Additionally, he discovered that when top management had positive moods, they worked together more cooperatively and achieved better business results (Primal Leadership, Goleman et. al.).

The Results:

Unlike traditional organizational improvement interventions such as effective communication or team building, EI skill development is unique in that it has the potential to positively impact a multitude of organizational challenges simultaneously. It goes beyond just leadership competencies or management skills. The effects are profound. Additionally, EI skill development enhances and complements other values-based and principle-centered programs. As foundational skills, EI skills enable people to improve the “how” of achieving results.

Reported EI training results are significant. Participants have experienced improvements that range as high as 35% to 40% in increased teamwork, increased personal productivity, and reduction in stress and worry, and similar improvements in personal motivation, management of emotional reactiveness, creativity and more.

About the Author

For over a decade, Byron Stock, a former engineer and director of corporate education has focused in the area of Emotional Intelligence Skill-building. He guides individuals and organizations toward excellence by helping them increase their Emotional Intelligence competence as a powerful tool to achieve strategic objectives, lead change and create resilient, high performing organizational cultures. Learn about Byron’s easy, quick, proven techniques to harness the power of your Emotional Intelligence in his new book, SMART EMOTIONS for Busy Business People available through his website www.ByronStock.com