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Oya's Newsletter: "Roots & Wings"
January/February 2006: Volume 3, Issue 1.
Newsletter
Archive
Written &
Published by Philippa Kennealy, MD, MPH, CPCC
Contents
Just what IS this EQ
stuff?
Oya News
TRY THIS OUT!
Recommended
Reading
for Clients on the Move Welcome
Note
Welcome
to our new "Roots and Wings" readers
and hello to everyone else. I hope you had
relaxing and enjoyable holidays.
Are you geared up for a worthwhile and engaging year?
I certainly am.
In fact, I'm so
excited about 2006 that I am jumping right in
and trying out some new stuff this month. You
can now LISTEN to my main article instead of
having to read it.
Try it out and let me know
what you think!
Please help me
reach a new goal for this month. I would like to
triple my subscribers (bold stuff!), so PLEASE
forward this newsletter to two - or more! -
people who you believe would enjoy it, and
encourage them to subscribe.
Just what IS this EQ
stuff?
I attended a
lecture last week on one of my "pet" subjects,
Emotional Intelligence, and I drove home with my
brain all lit up! I was reminded of why I am so
passionate about my work - coaching is
invariably about developing the highest levels
of emotional and social functioning that my
clients are capable of, thereby solving a number
of their longstanding "thorn-in-the-side"
problems.
We read and hear a
lot about Emotional Intelligence (as measured by
EQ, or Emotional Quotient) in leadership and
business, as well as in our personal lives, but
what exactly is it?
Intelligence (as
measured by IQ) is made up of various abilities
such as reasoning, using logic, and calculating
with numbers, and it's what our school education
focuses on in childhood.
A certain IQ level
is required, for the most part, as the ticket
needed to embark on the passage to a successful
career. However, it is EQ that
distinguishes the great leaders from the merely
ordinary or mediocre, and the social winners
from the laggards!
I find it
fascinating to realize that skills, such as the
ability to be truly empathic, or to have
high self-regard, or to rein in those
impulses with the potential to damage oneself or
others, are the factors that separate the
top from the average performers.
It ISN'T about
what you know technically;
it's about what you know about yourself and
others, and how you apply this knowledge in adaptive and productive ways.
Wow!
So let's get back
to "What is emotional intelligence?"
Is it common
sense?
Or wisdom?
Or a good
attitude?
Or maturity?
Or some of all of
the above?
A more formal
definition is: It's the ability to use the
information provided by our emotions (i.e. as
DATA, not just "touchy-feely stuff") to act appropriately in the face of daily
challenges.
This definition
may help explain why some smart people around
you, people who seem really bright and
knowledgeable, can do and say some surprisingly
dumb things! Either they're not able to register
and name what emotions they are experiencing, or
they are unable to act appropriately in certain
situations.
Why should
Emotional Intelligence be important to your
organizations and businesses?
In a survey
conducted with about 1000 respondents over 5
years and published in 2005, The Gallup
Organization found that only 27% of employees
described themselves as engaged at work
(working with passion, and deeply connected to
their company), while 59% said they were not
engaged (showing up at work but "checked
out" mentally), and 14% were actively
disengaged (unhappy, and acting out their
unhappiness, disrupting the performance of
others).
Pretty
shocking numbers, I think!
It was estimated
that if workers were to be actively engaged,
customer satisfaction would increase by as much
as 70%, turnover decrease by 70% and profits
increase by up to 40%.
And the key
factors that produced engagement were a)
supervisors that cared for the welfare of the
employees and focused on developing their
strengths, b) good interpersonal relationships
with peers, and c) high feelings of self-worth.
All indications of Emotional Intelligence at
work!
To quote the
Gallup Management Journal article: "Happy and
engaged employees are much more likely to have a
positive relationship with their boss, are
better equipped to handle new challenges and
changes, feel they are more valued by their
employers, handle stress more effectively, and
are much more satisfied with their lives".
As building the
skills of Emotional Intelligence exists at the
heart of good coaching relationships and yields
such high results, I'll be devoting the articles
of the next few months to exploring the
practical applications of some of these skills,
or "EQ competencies", in greater depth.
I would welcome
your comments or observations by e-mail to
pkennealy@oyaconsulting.com!
Oya
News
January is drawing to a close and has been a
wonderful busy start to 2006. I just wish I'd
stop writing 2005 on my checks!
At
Oya, I am exploring new models for delivering
the benefits of coaching to a wider audience,
both inside organizations and to independent
professionals. I'll keep you posted as things
develop.
Oya Consulting also has a new tagline that
represents more closely just what actually
happens in a great coaching and professional
development relationship:
"Leadership Excellence. Professional Growth.
Personal Fulfillment".
Let me know what you think!
Imagine discovering your particular
"genius" and putting it to work for you, to
create the results you really want.
If 2006 seems ripe with possibility
but you can't quite figure out what that is,
contact
me,
for a complimentary 40-minute coaching
consultation.
What can the
conductor of a world-renowned symphony and his
family systems therapist wife have to share with
all of us, slaving away in our regular lives? A
lot, it turns out!
In their
delightful book,
The Art of Possibility, the authors,
Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, provide,
often through alternating voices, an array of
practices that provoke the reader with the
premise that much more is possible than people
ordinarily think.
They postulate
that life is "all invented" and that we are free
to define our stories in ways that free us up to
be bigger and live more rewarding lives. This is
a big shift in perspective for most people who
feel trapped in the circumstances of their
lives. Through the "practices", we are invited
to meet our creative selves - to invent new
thoughts, beliefs and actions that open doors,
instead of reinforcing our mental prisons.
Using stories,
parables, and anecdotes from the authors'
personal experiences as well as from famous and
not so famous regular folks, their approach is
both playful and serious, and the book makes for
reading that is equally challenging to our
assumptions, and entertaining for the "kid" in
us.
Please
forward this newsletter to a client, friend,
relative or acquaintance that might enjoy
reading it.
Philippa Kennealy MD MPH CPCC
President, Oya Consulting
Philippa Kennealy is an Executive and
Professional Coach and Professional Speaker, dedicated to your professional
and personal success and fulfillment.
To
schedule an initial FR*EE consultation, to learn
more, or to inquire about having her speak to
your group or organization, contact her at:
pkennealy@oyaconsulting.com
or
click here.
SHARE THE WEALTH
If you enjoy this newsletter and want others to
benefit, please forward this copy to family,
friends or colleagues. I truly appreciate your
loyalty and interest.
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