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Emotional Intelligence for Managing Results in a Diverse World

The Hard Truth about Soft Skills in the Workplace

Lee Gardenswartz, Jorge Cherbosque and Anita Rowe

Davies-Black Publishing, 2008

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Feelings and emotions affect how people perform their jobs, of course, and shape the tenor of their workplaces. The impact and applicability of emotional intelligence (EI) at work is well established. If you’re ready for a more focused treatment, Lee Gardenswartz, Jorge Cherbosque and Anita Rowe offer this manual about the use of EI in working with and managing all kinds of people. They submit that dealing with human differences triggers a variety of emotions, many of which are counterproductive. They provide a four-part “Emotional Intelligence and Diversity Model” to help managers handle their emotions – and their diverse employees – effectively. The book includes an assortment of exercises, charts and quizzes to help raise your emotional intelligence. getAbstract finds that this quite specific guide is very useful for managers, particularly less experienced ones, whose workplaces present diversity challenges.

Summary

“Feelings, Nothing More Than Feelings...”

Your feelings are an essential part of who you are. That doesn’t change at work, where feelings affect performance. In fact, your emotions supply the fuel that drives your energy, enthusiasm and inspiration. However, emotions also can be a source of anger and frustration. If not managed properly, they can cause problems in your workplace.

Those who cope best with their emotions have well-developed emotional intelligence (EI), “the ability to understand and deal with feelings, both your own and those of others, in a healthy and constructive way.”

Feelings are your body’s way of telling you that something significant is happening. Suppressing them has negative consequences. Unexpressed feelings may cause dysfunctional behaviors, including anxiety, depression or substance abuse. Unfortunately, societal expectations condition many people from early childhood to disregard their feelings. Just think of common phrases like “chill out,” “big boys don’t cry” or “keep a stiff upper lip.” Unacknowledged emotions can still influence behavior; to be able to manage your feelings, you first have to recognize them.