Critical Skills are defined as the particular capabilities required within an occupation, e.g. general management skills, customer care skills, communication skills, teamworking abilities, communication technology skills etc.
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) has to do with one's ability to identify, control and assess one's own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. It also speaks of one's flexibility and ability to adapt, as individuals with higher EQ are more equipped to adapt to any given circumstances than their equally intelligent (in the traditional, cognitive sense) counterparts.
EQ as a Critical Skill
Emotional Intelligence Training touches on all of the above, from understanding how to more effectively manage oneself, one's team, and how to handle customers, to more effective communication and better teamworking abilities.
While these skills are undoubtedly important for any organisation, they are almost certainly more important and necessary within government departments, who on a daily basis have to deal with difficult/upset customers, a multitude of different staff and departments who may or may not be cooperative, the stress of backlogs, impending deadlines, and the feeling that even when they speak up their voice is being lost in all the noise.
Benefits of Introducing EQ to the Workplace - a Case Study
To put the benefits of an emotionally intelligent staff, who consider EQ a critical skill, into perspective, we can look at an example implemented by the United States Air Force.
When the US Air Force went about hiring recruiters, the government included an emotional intelligence test as part of the process. They soon found that their most successful recruiters were the ones who scored the best on the emotional intelligence test, particularly in the competencies of emotional self-awareness, empathy, happiness and assertiveness.
It was also found that those scoring higher on the emotional intelligence test were more likely to stay in the position once employed, reducing employee turnover in the process.
The US Air Force found that by using the emotional intelligence test and including emotional intelligence as a critical skill, they were able to increase their chances of employing a successful recruiter by threefold. It was also discovered that by using the EQ test over $3 million could be saved annually as the correct people were being employed the first time around.
The results shown were so notable that the Government Accountability Office presented the findings to Congress, who then requested that EQ tests be used by the Department of Defense in recruitment and selection of all armed forces.
EQ Training
Emotional Intelligence Training helps individuals to be more accountable, both to themselves and to their teams, and allows for smoother, more manageable relationships between coworkers and management.
From the case study of the US Air Force it is clear that an emotionally intelligent workforce results in lower staff turnover, higher productivity, and the potential for huge savings throughout the organisation - but more importantly, EQ boosts efficiency levels through the roof as things are done correctly the very first time.
Do you think Emotional Intelligence should be considered a critical skill for government? Send your thoughts to comments@stafftraining.co.za
Staff Training presents Emotional Intelligence Training nationwide, both inhouse and open hosted. Contact (021) 839 3021 or info@StaffTraining.co.za for more information.