Do you think emotional intelligence is important to managers? How would you assess emotional intelligence in deciding who to promote to a managerial position?
Emotional intelligence (EI) is comprehensively defined by D. Goleman (2013) as a capability of acknowledging and managing one’s own emotional condition and that of the others (p. 92). It includes the ability to control negativity and converting it into positive emotional output, as well as empathizing with others (Phillips & Gully, 2015, p. 94). EI is extremely important to anyone working in management because an emotionally intelligent person possesses the social skills necessary in such an occupation. A manager is the one who organizes; with the help of EI, a manager can perform at their best in the making and maintaining contacts, arriving at an understanding, negotiating, etc. To assess the EI in a person that is likely to be promoted to a managerial position, it is best to take notice of how this person acts in stressful situations. Top performers are more likely to be able to control their emotions in stress. A person deserving promotion would also be ready to take responsibility for their actions and put themselves in others’ place. Such a person would be effective in rapport-building and confident in their abilities.
When would a learning goal orientation be preferred to a performance goal orientation? When would a performance goal orientation be preferred to learning goal orientation?
Simply put, a person with performance goal orientation is striving to gain a positive judgment about their skills and capacities. Such persons usually follow the safe path and are oriented to achieving goals. Among the downsides of such an approach is that goal-oriented persons can demonstrate helplessness in the face of difficulty. In contrast, learning goal orientation is aimed at gaining knowledge and experience. People adopting this approach are ready to risk and value every outcome of their conduct. On the other hand, the risks that are taken can sometimes be unjustified, which has a negative impact on the business’ overall performance (Phillips & Gully, 2015, p. 126). Both approaches can eventually result in effective goal-achievement. The performance goal orientation approach would be preferable when a specific and distinct goal is to outperform the rivals, individual performance is rewarded instantly and compensation is performance-based. A learning goal approach would be more sufficient in individual training and when the tasks generally require more competence and long-term commitment.
What motivates you at work? What do you find unmotivating at work? Are they opposites, or are there different characteristics on each list?
Among the external factors that I find motivating are the goals that are clearly articulated and opportunities for personal development. Another factor that I would find motivating is a positive atmosphere where the performance is valued and rewarded either verbally or in other forms. Those are densely intertwined with the need to develop and grow to improve me. For that sake, I would also want a workplace that offers challenges: this would not only allow me to advance my skills but also help me develop emotional intelligence. Among the non-motivators, I would consider the goals that are either unclear or those I cannot relate to. Achieving goals to impress other people can be a byproduct of work but the goal that is not personally important to me would cause a dissonance. Another factor would be the poor variety of skills to exert and tasks to accomplish. Self-development, at that point, would inevitably drift into stagnation. The final, and probably the most demotivating factor is lack of response to the accomplishments. Whether positive or negative, there should be some feedback to make the progress visible and help single out the possible flaws; otherwise, the motivation to progress fades. Those factors are opposites to each other and mainly concern the workplace environment.
References
Goleman, D. (2012). Emotional Intelligence: 10th Anniversary Edition. New York, NY: Random House Publishing Group.
Phillips, J. M., & Gully, S. M. (2015). Organizational Behavior: Tools for Success (2nd ed.). Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning.