The challenge to respond appropriately is never greater than when you are under stress. But Stress Management is not just about keeping your cool under pressure. As Michael explains, stressed-out managers become disengaged from their work – and from their workers. How can you engage your employees if you yourself are disengaged?

In this podcast Michael explains the two related elements of Stress Management: Stress Tolerance and Impulse Control. He explains that Stress Tolerance is a muscle that can be exercised and developed, however, it’s also important not to work yourself beyond the tolerance you’ve developed. Impulse Control plays a role here, both in working effectively, and also in knowing when to quit.

Once again, we see how the layers of Emotional Intelligence support each other. Not just our own resources (Intrapersonal), but also the support of others (Interpersonal) come into play in helping us to manage stress.

Feedback: Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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After InTRApersonal attributes, come the InTERpersonal ones. As a leader, how do your interpersonal skills influence the performance of your team?

Empathy is the ability to identify emotion in another and to respond appropriately. It is one of the most highly valued abilities in a leader.

Social Responsibility. In terms of Employee Engagement, a leader who is socially responsible demonstrates fairness in his or her dealings with every member of the team.

Interpersonal Relationships. This attribute measures the individual’s ability to form and sustain relationships. It goes to the heart of Employee Engagement. Remember that there are two parties to every relationship, and that both are responsible to that relationship.

Comments welcome. Email Michael AT QBC.ie. Call or text +353 87 2602205.

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In this podcast, Michael discusses the Intrapersonal elements of Emotional Intelligence and explains their significance for a leader who wants to drive higher levels of Employee Engagement.

Intrapersonal qualities of Emotional Intelligence are all about how the individual relates to themselves. The attributes measured are: Self-Regard, Emotional Self-Awareness, Assertiveness, Independence and Self-Actualisation.

Before a leader communicates with their team, what do they say to themselves? This is the focus of Intrapersonal Emotional Intelligence. How you relate to yourself has consequences for how you relate to others.

Self Regard. How does the individual perceive themselves and their own success-rate? What are the implications of a leader’s own Self-Regard for the team they manage?

Self Awareness. This describes the extent to which the individual is aware of their own emotions. Someone with a good level of emotional Self-Awareness has the ability to recognise their own emotional state, and consequently control it appropriately for different situations.

Assertiveness. This measures the extent to which the individual gives themselves permission to speak and the effort they make to ensure their point of view is communicated and understood. This is a vital skill for managers.

Independence. To what extent are you influenced by the emotions of others? Is your ability to communicate an important message compromised by your awareness of the emotional impact the message will have on others?

Self-Actualisation. How do you feel about your performance in relation to the goals you set yourself? How realistic are your goals in relation to your abilities? Can you map out a pathway to success? As a leader, can you set realistic goals for your team, and see them acheived?

This the first of five podcasts discussing different aspects of Emotional Intelligence specifically in relation to driving Employee Engagement. Join in the discussion! Leave a comment here on the blog, email Michael at qbc.ie, or call the voicemail line +353 87 2602205 to leave an audio comment. (You can send SMS text to that number also!)

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For their fourth podcast, Michael and Conn turn their attention to the question of Employee Engagement. The QBC Podcast on Employee Engagement will be a separate series under the QBC banner.

Michael explains the concept of Employee Engagement and the significance of Discretionary Effort.

Discretionary Effort occurs when people don’t check their job description in relation to a particular task, but how do you go about motivating that kind of commitment?

According to Michael, it’s more a question of not demotivating people from being their natural, enthusiastic, empathetic, helpful selves.

These were among the questions discussed last weekend at The Pharmaceutical Managers Institute AGM and Heathcare Forum held in Wexford. This is a forum for senior managers in the pharmaceutical industry and QBC Ltd have been among the sponsors of the annual event for the last two years.

As with any industry, the challenge in bringing change to the health service is compounded by the legacy of employee disengagement. When people feel that their efforts have not been recognised in the past it is difficult to motivate them when they are asked to facilitate change and get out of their comfort zones.

Organisations can use recognition programmes to systematically tackle the issue of Employee Engagement. Michael recommends recognition of the everyday efforts, not just the big achievements.

QBC will run a public course in June for senior managers on Employee Engagement. The programme will bring together executives from different industries to develop their response to the common challenge of Engagement.

If you’d like to engage with Michael on the subjects raised in this podcast you can leave a comment here, email Michael at qbc.ie, or call the voicemail line +353 87 2602205 to leave an audio comment.

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