Emotional Intelligence (EI) has been described as abilities in five domains:

1. Knowing one’s emotions
2. Managing emotions
3. Motivating oneself
4. Recognizing emotions in others
5. Handling relationships

(Goleman, Daniel, PhD. Emotional Intelligence. NY: Bantam Books, 1995, pp 42-43)

This week, I went to an E-Factor event, which featured a presentation by Dr. Izzy Justice, founder of EQmentor. “E.Factor” stands for “The Entrepreneur Factor” and represents a vibrant online community and virtual marketplace designed for entrepreneurs, by entrepreneurs.

Geared for an audience of entrepreneurs who want to improve their personal as well as their employees’ performance, Izzy’s presentation walked us through what’s happening in the workplace, how learning is changing and how his company facilitates learning and mentoring. After Izzy’s talk, a panel answered questions and discussed their take on EQ from their own entrepreneurial perspective. Be positive and eliminate negativity right away seemed to be the resounding theme. Today, I’m sharing my presentation notes with you. Check into Izzy’s blog for in-depth EQ explanations, including this one about EQ and outcome-based learning.

Izzy kept us waiting until the end of his presentation to find out the seven core basic emotions that drive behavior and success: love, fear, anger, joy, sadness, envy and hope. A good speaking tactic that holds attention, I’m starting out with them here. These emotions are actually physiological measurements, gauged by mapping the release of endorphins in your body. Identifying the emotional state you’re in is important, especially when it comes to learning. When you say, “I’m in a bad mood,” Izzy says you’re holding yourself hostage.

But, isn’t business supposed to be pragmatic? No, every exchange carries an emotion. And, today’s workforce is an emotion-charged place with high dissatisfaction levels. That’s why Baby Boomers are checking out to do their own thing at a relatively young retirement age.

Today’s workforce – job dissatisfaction high, Baby Boomers exiting at 52

In his presentation, Izzy pointed out that:

• People leave their companies because of: lack of personal growth-39%, atmosphere/culture-20%, lifestyle-19%, compensation-9%
• 73% of employees are staying in jobs they dislike/hate
• 80% indicated a need for improving leadership development
• 69% say retaining and motivating employees is top priority
• 55% of all employees indicated they are looking for a job
• Job satisfaction was last at an all time high in the 50s key because of a key benefit –a pension
• Every 8 seconds a Baby Boomer retires
• 52 is the average of a “retirement” for Baby Boomers
• Gen X and Y will comprise 65% of workers by 2010
• “Managing Gen Y” people is #1 reason Gen Xers are unhappy at work – not because of performance, but because of cultural differences
• 1 out of 6 couples in US married in the US in 2008 met online
• 2.7 B searches on Google each month
• 14 B devices that can connect to the internet will be in use by 2010

Note: all information captured during the presentation as is and may have some inaccuracies.

Memory-Based Learning Not Working – Experiential Learning Works 70% of the time

People don’t learn the way they used to, Izzy says. Anyone with a teen in the house would agree, but how about adult workers? Now, 70% of workplace learning occurs informally. That’s why delivery of knowledge at the point of need is critical [70-20-10 rule] 10% of new learning should happen in a classroom, 20% experiential 70% on the job, which is the opposite of three years ago. What do you think? How does this information apply to the way you like to learn?

How EQ-Emotional Quotient Compares to IQ-Intelligence Quotient: Relating to Yourself and Relating to Others

Two physiological components to EQ

1 – emotions precede behavior they come first – happy smile

2 – the speed and strength of an emotional response is infinitely faster than a rational thought, which is where your competencies reside

Poor EQ will trump good skills, good training and even good character, especially when the emotional temperature of the situation goes up.

Negative and Positive Interactions Both Affect Success

Negative Events/Interactions – reside chemically in your body for about four hours. Having just two average negative experiences in a day, or eight hours of stress response, can greatly impact the day – on the downside.

Positive Events/Interactions – positive experience lasts an average of 30 minutes. Finding ways to stay positive elevates your performance and counteracts stress. How do you stay positive?

EQ PR: Why Being Moody is Good Thing

How do you wrap public relations around good emotions? After hearing this presentation, I’m more convinced than ever that expressing – and evoking – positive emotions is critical. What kind of emotions do you want your customers to associate with you and your services?

Do you know how people perceive you now? If not, then ask and keep asking and readjusting until you align the responses with the good moods you’re going after – on both sides.