Intelligence comes in many packages, sizes and shapes. We all possess many types of intelligence. The best known intelligence is our cognitive ability, which is measured by our Intelligence Quotient or IQ score. This is unfortunate because our IQ, although important, is not the best predictor of how successful we are in life. A much better indicator is our level of Emotional Intelligence, which encompasses how well we understa
nd and manage our own emotions, and how well we interact with others. The most successful Support Managers are both aware of their own Emotional Intelligence and work to improve it daily.Why is it so important for Support Managers to possess advanced Emotional Intelligence skills? There are two answers to that question1. The Leader casts a long shadow - and that shadow influences the effectiveness of the group.We know that emotions are
contagious. All humans possess an open-loop emotional system in our brain that allows us to perceive and be affected by other’s emotional states or moods. This is the mechanism that allows a mother to soothe her crying baby, or for a giggle to infect a roomful of people. You can bet that as manager of the support center, all employees’ eyes are on you as you show up for the day. They are wondering, either silently or aloud, “Is he in a good mood today? What does that frown on her face mean? Watch out - he’s got that look that means we’re going to have heck to pay around here today.” Your mood and emotions set the pace for the whole group. You, therefore, must be very mindful of your emotions and manage them well, because they quickly affect the entire team.Recently, psychologists have shown that a 1% improvement in emotional climate creates a 2% increase in revenues. Y
es, as the leader, you set the emotional climate of the entire group, which influences the effectiveness of your group and ultimately the profitability of your company. 2. Employees join companies but leave managers.As I talk to support professionals about Emotional Intelligence, I am struck by the number of stories that confirm the premise that employees join companies but leave managers. Whether it’s the manager who did not control her anger toward an employee or one who humiliated an individual in public, the immediate result of an emotionally un-intelligent episode is a backwash of animosity and bad feelings toward the manager. The ultimate reality is usually a lost employee. The humiliated employee successfully seeks another position due to the lingering bad feelings about that incident or because of a string of similar incidents that has poisoned the relat
ionship. Even in a sluggish economy in which it is relatively easy to hire new employees, the cost of losing a good employee is very high. No company can afford to lose good talent unnecessarily.How can you be an Emotionally Intelligent Support Manager? Developing Emotional Intelligence is a process that takes time and patience. It’s like climbing a very large set of stairs in slow
motion. The four areas of competencies in Emotional Intelligence can be visualized thus:
ionship. Even in a sluggish economy in which it is relatively easy to hire new employees, the cost of losing a good employee is very high. No company can afford to lose good talent unnecessarily.How can you be an Emotionally Intelligent Support Manager? Developing Emotional Intelligence is a process that takes time and patience. It’s like climbing a very large set of stairs in slow
motion. The four areas of competencies in Emotional Intelligence can be visualized thus:DEVELOPING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE – THE STAIRCASE OF STEPS
Like most processes, the first step is the most important. The first step in developing Emotional Intelligence is to be aware of your own emotions (Self-Awareness). Without awareness of your own emotions, it is not possible to develop more advanced competencies. Most of us are not in touch with our emotions – in fact, we’ve been taught to ignore them. I recently saw a movie with my pre-teenage daughter that illustrated this point. In the movie, Freaky Friday, the mother, a psychologist, and her daughter, a rebellious 15 year old, have changed bodies for a day, thanks to dramatic license. The daughter (in the mother’s body) must go to work and see her mother’s patients that day. The daughter is distraught, “What do I say to all your patients, Mom?” The mother (in the daughter’s body) replies, “Just keep asking them, “How do you feel about that?” This is most certainly a gross oversimplification of the psychological profession, but the point is that psychologists are constantly reminding us to identify our feelings – because we are not accustomed to doing so.You can increase your Self-Awareness by constantly asking yourself, “How do I feel about this?” I know that I need to identify an emotion when I notice a physiological reaction in my body, such as butterflies in my stomach or tense shoulders. “OK, what is that I’m feeling that’s making my stomach quake?” I’ll say to myself. Usually, I’m feeling nervous about some event or task I need to perform. The physical reaction can be a tip-off that you need to identify the feeling that is causing it.The second step in de
veloping Emotional Intelligence is Self-Management. Self-management is controlling your knee-jerk reactions to emotional triggers in your life. With some reflection, you can identify certain situations that are guaranteed to “push your buttons” – perhaps a certain employee really makes you mad when they whine, or a customer who talks in an accusatory tone really sets you off. It is our goal as mature adults to stop, take a deep breath and deal with the situation without losing our cool. Most techniques for handling these trigger situations are a variant on the tried-and-true “count to ten” advice, but you can also mentally rehearse your reaction to common situations. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, visualizing a potentially reactive situation. Recreate the scene in your mind using all five of your senses – how does it look, smell, sound, etc. – and then imagine yourself choosing a calmer, most effective response. Our emotional brains are slow to learn, but practice, whether it is an actual or mental rehearsal, is the best way to train ourselves to change an habitual response.In a Support Center, the manager’s self-management skills will not only set the tone for the whole department, but also for all your employee’s interactions with customers. Remember that we said the leader casts a long shadow? If you, as the manager, lose control of your emotions and raise your voice, employees might consider that acceptable behavior and use a raised voice in dealing with customers. How you treat your employees will be reflected in how they, in turn, treat your customers.In the third step, we are attuning to other’s emotions and acting accordingly. The competencies of Social Awareness include awareness of the mood of your group, empathy toward both your customers and your employees, political awareness of your organization as a whole, and an attitude of service. Support Managers must be aware of how the Support Center is viewed in the overall political landscape of the organization. Is your support function viewed as ancillary to your business, or are you seen as a primary contributor to the company’s strategic direction? Most Support Managers today are concerned about their function being outsourced. Managers who exercise mature Social Awareness competencies are actively engaged in aligning their center with business goals, are marketing the value of their Support Center to upper management, and are seeking cost-cutting measures before being asked to. Social Awareness leads to action when a need is identified.The last step in developing Emotional Intelligence is Relationship Management. This cluster of competencies revolves around teamwork: how we get along with others, how we handle conflict, how we influence and persuade others, how we consider the feelings of others as we interact with them. It includes how effectively we get things done in organizations. Support Managers are constantly managing both up and down the organization – managing their boss and managing their team. In decision making, it is very important to consider the people and relationships, both up and down the org chart, that are affected by your decision. Here is a checklist of questions to consider that will increase your Emotional Intelligence in making a politically loaded decision or planning a change:
veloping Emotional Intelligence is Self-Management. Self-management is controlling your knee-jerk reactions to emotional triggers in your life. With some reflection, you can identify certain situations that are guaranteed to “push your buttons” – perhaps a certain employee really makes you mad when they whine, or a customer who talks in an accusatory tone really sets you off. It is our goal as mature adults to stop, take a deep breath and deal with the situation without losing our cool. Most techniques for handling these trigger situations are a variant on the tried-and-true “count to ten” advice, but you can also mentally rehearse your reaction to common situations. Sit quietly with your eyes closed, visualizing a potentially reactive situation. Recreate the scene in your mind using all five of your senses – how does it look, smell, sound, etc. – and then imagine yourself choosing a calmer, most effective response. Our emotional brains are slow to learn, but practice, whether it is an actual or mental rehearsal, is the best way to train ourselves to change an habitual response.In a Support Center, the manager’s self-management skills will not only set the tone for the whole department, but also for all your employee’s interactions with customers. Remember that we said the leader casts a long shadow? If you, as the manager, lose control of your emotions and raise your voice, employees might consider that acceptable behavior and use a raised voice in dealing with customers. How you treat your employees will be reflected in how they, in turn, treat your customers.In the third step, we are attuning to other’s emotions and acting accordingly. The competencies of Social Awareness include awareness of the mood of your group, empathy toward both your customers and your employees, political awareness of your organization as a whole, and an attitude of service. Support Managers must be aware of how the Support Center is viewed in the overall political landscape of the organization. Is your support function viewed as ancillary to your business, or are you seen as a primary contributor to the company’s strategic direction? Most Support Managers today are concerned about their function being outsourced. Managers who exercise mature Social Awareness competencies are actively engaged in aligning their center with business goals, are marketing the value of their Support Center to upper management, and are seeking cost-cutting measures before being asked to. Social Awareness leads to action when a need is identified.The last step in developing Emotional Intelligence is Relationship Management. This cluster of competencies revolves around teamwork: how we get along with others, how we handle conflict, how we influence and persuade others, how we consider the feelings of others as we interact with them. It includes how effectively we get things done in organizations. Support Managers are constantly managing both up and down the organization – managing their boss and managing their team. In decision making, it is very important to consider the people and relationships, both up and down the org chart, that are affected by your decision. Here is a checklist of questions to consider that will increase your Emotional Intelligence in making a politically loaded decision or planning a change: · Who is affected by this?
· Who needs to know about this and who doesn’t? Do I need to communicate more often? Do I need to involve them?
· How are the organization’s political insiders going to be affected by this? What will they think, feel and do? Is there a way that I can gain one as an ally in this situation? Could I ask them to help communicate?
· Who has some ego involved in this, and what might their goal be?
· How can I be aware of their emotional needs but get what I want, too?
· What don’t I know about this situation? What might surprise me?
· What are some possible actions to take?
· After creating a plan of action, consider the possible consequences of that plan. How would others react to this plan? What are the ramifications of this action?
Increasing your Emotional Intelligence will increase your effectiveness as a Support Center manager. Be easy on yourself – change comes slowly with emotional habits, but persistence and practice will create results in time. The benefits you reap from your efforts will improve your support center’s efficiencies and your career path.
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