Professional skills development through personal effectiveness and emotional intelligence

Professional Skills on Personal Effectiveness, Emotional Intelligence and Negotiation

Professional Skills

Professional Skills Relating to Personal Effectiveness, Emotional Intelligence and Negotiation

Personal Effectiveness.

Experience concerning personal effectiveness

The importance of the concept of personal effectiveness as a professional skill became evident in my experience when I began to realize that my organizational skills were not as effective as they might have been. Personal effectiveness can refer to a wide range of aspects that impact one's ability to be effective and productive at work and in one's personal life. These can include aspects such as organization, people skills and communication, as well as perceived self-esteem and self-efficacy.

In my working experience I found that there were many aspects of my working style and attitude that were not conducive to optimal personal effectiveness. One of the central aspects that affected my working productivity was a lack of organization in terms of work schedules and deadlines. I found that I was working harder than those around me and not achieving as much. This made me despondent and affected my sense of efficacy and well-being; which in turn had a negative impact on my relationship with my colleagues and ultimately a negative effect on my productivity.

After researching this aspect I found that by making even relatively small changes in my organizational approach and way of working, such as making a list of target and deadline dates, helped to improve my personal effectiveness. This and other aspects will be discussed in the following sections.

a2. Theory about Personal Effectiveness

The theoretical foundations of this concept are largely derived from the field of business management, and can be found in works by management and business experts such as Peter Drucker, W. Edwards Deming, and Genichi Taguchi.

Personal effectiveness is commonly referred to as "… making the most of talents and resources in all of one's endeavors." (4 Ways to Increase Personal Effectiveness) However, in more formal theoretical terms, the understanding of personal effectiveness can vary from each individual and organization.

It is often summarized as being a term that holistically describes the effectiveness of the individual in his or her working task; in other words, using the means at one's disposal to be as effective as possible. Interpersonal communications and group effectiveness are factors in the business and organizational environment in which personal effectiveness is manifested.

In theory the desired outcomes of personal effectiveness is that at the personal level it promotes happiness and well- being, which also has a positive effect on others in the workplace. There are various ways in which personal effectiveness can be achieved or increased. These include understanding the importance of psychological motivational factors that inspire the individual. Other factors such as the importance of good physical health also contribute towards personal effectiveness.

a3. Improvement plan for personal effectiveness

As noted above, one of the central areas that need improvement in order to enhance my personal effectiveness are my organizational skills. This refers not only to short- and long-range planning for deadlines and production but also to smaller details that will assist me in developing a better personal effectiveness. For example, my desk and work space are often cluttered and sorting and arranging this area more logically will lead to an immediate improvement. This will also help me to focus on one thing at a time, instead of being distracted by a multitude of issues and items.

A second factor that has become evident from the research into this subject is that I should also endeavor to improve my communications skills. This is an area that has been lacking in my development and has at times been the cause of poor rapport with my colleagues. As one study on this aspect states;

Listening and paying attention to others shows that you value what they have to say and the contribution they can make. This is very likely to increase their feeling of self-worth, which is known to be a key factor in effective performance and job satisfaction.

(PERSONAL EFFECTIVENESS )

I am also aware that true personal effectiveness requires a foundation of physical as well as mental and emotional health. My improvement plan would therefore include all these aspects in an effort to develop my personal effectiveness.

B. Emotional Intelligence

b1. Experience of emotional intelligence

While working with other people in a business environment I had an experience that made me aware of the value and importance of emotional intelligence. This experience occurred in a stressful situation where a certain vital decision about a client had to be made. I found that the decision was made more difficult by those who had a negative or pessimistic approach, compared to those with a more positive and optimistic view of the situation.

I also found that because of my lack of experience, I too was somewhat emotionally immature in the situation and tended to become pessimistic about the outcomes. Emotional intelligence refers in part to the ability to control and manage one's emotions in a way that is conducive to productivity and an objective appraisal of any situation.

There are various competencies linked to emotional intelligence; one of which is the ability to relate to a stressful situation without panicking or becoming upset. I found that by adopting a more emotionally mature stance, the tense situation was much easier to deal with. This experience is also supported by various studies; for example,

A study of store managers in a retail chain found that the ability to handle stress predicted net profits, sales per square foot, sales per employee, and per dollar inventory investment (Lusch and Serpkenci, 1990). The ability to manage feelings and handle stress is a key aspect of emotional intelligence.

(Webb, 2009, p. 32)

b2. Theory

Emotional intelligence or E1 involves "….knowing when and how to express emotions as well as the ability to control emotions." (Why Emotional Intelligence Should Matter to Management: A Survey of the Literature) Furthermore, it also involves "…self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and the ability to manage relationships (Why Emotional Intelligence Should Matter to Management: A Survey of the Literature)

The term emotional intelligence was first coined as early as 1966 by Leuner and was defined by Thorndike in 1920. (Webb, 2009, p. 32) in a more modern context, the issue of emotional intelligence was brought to the fore of educational and management theory by the work of Howard Gardner in 1983. He suggested the theory of multiple intelligence and "… proposed that intrapersonal and interpersonal intelligence are as important as the type of intelligence typically measured by IQ and related tests." (Webb, 2009, p. 32)

There are a number of core aspects to the theoretical understanding of this concept. These include the following; the ability to understand and express oneself as well as the ability to understand others and relate to them. (Webb, 2009, p. 32) Therefore, communication is an important component of emotional intelligence, especially with regard to the way in which one communicates in terms of understanding one's emotions as well as the emotions of others. Other core theoretical aspects include the ability to manage and control emotions and the ability to manage change, adapt, and solve problems of a personal and interpersonal nature; as well as the ability to generate a positive mood and to be self-motivated. (Bar-on, Handley, Fund, 2006, p.4).

b3. Improvement plan on emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence involves "…knowing when and how to express emotions, as much as controlling emotions." (Webb, 2009, p. 32) a Yale university study found that this form of intelligence requires more than just self-control and that it includes the ability to interact with and influence others in a positive manner. In other words, "Good feelings led to cooperation, fairness, and overall group performance." (Webb, 2009, p. 32)

I realize that emotional intelligence is important in the working environment and for a leader to project positive emotions and emotional interaction in order to inculcate a working situation that is both harmonious and productive. I also realize that this is an area that could be improved from a personal point-of-view. I therefore aim to focus on areas such as communicative interaction and my own emotional well-being in order to project a more positive influence on my colleagues in the working environment. This would involve aspects such as self-awareness and self-management, which would include the learning of new communicative skills as well as learning to clearly communicate my aims and goals to others. A greater sensitivity and awareness towards the feelings and perceptions of others is a crucial element of this plan. This also means that not only rational or logical aspects of experience should be considered but that a more feeling orientated strategy should be adopted in order to better relate to others.

c. Negotiation

c1. Experience concerning negotiation

My first experience with the negotiation process was rather unpleasant. I found that being involved in the process was confusing and that the parties involved were rather aggressively trying to persuade or even bully one another into accepting a certain point-of-view. The negotiation ended with one of the parties walking out of the room and the problem had to be settled eventually by a ruling from management. This event also had a negative effect on the working relationships between members of the different groups in the debate.

What has become obvious to me since then is that negotiation is a process that requires sensitivity and a search for balance, rather than just an attempt to overwhelm the other party. It also requires intense focus and perception.

I noticed that many of the negotiators entered the process without having a concentrated and clear focus of their aims and not being fully prepared. I realized that the negotiation process can in fact be a very productive process and that it can help to solve problems through mutual understanding. I also came to the conclusion that communication skills are a vital part of the skills required to be a successful negotiator.

c3. Improvement plan

One do the aspects that I would need to concentrate on in improving my negotiation skills is critical thinking. This implies a rational and logical approach that takes into accout different variables and options in the negotiation process.

However this is only one side of the process. Other aspects to focus on would be linked to emotional intelligence and communication. These are vital areas in the process of negotiation that is aimed at solving problems. I would therefore possibly take a training program in the enhancement of communication and interpersonal techniques, with the aim of improving my negotiation abilities.

The above factors would be included in an overall personal program that would also take into account the important aspect of preparation for any negotision. I would also ensure that the various priorities and desired outcomes of the negotiation are clearly outlined so that there can no areas of vague indecisiveness in the negotiation process.

What the above research has also made clear is that a skill such as negotiation is dependent on many other skills in leadership and management. This would include aspects of personal effectiveness as well as emotional intelligence. These skills are therefore interconnected and useful in the negotiating process.

Summary and Conclusion

In the above discussion a number of interesting and useful skills were discussed. These include the fact that professional skills need be worked at and studied. Both theoretical and practical aspects are needed in the development of these skills. For example, the discussion of negotiation skills and the difference between competitive negotiation and the problem solving approach to negotiation was an eye-opener to me. It made me realize that negotiation in business and in other contexts should be directed towards achieving an equitable balance in decision making and the working process. It also became evident to me that this approach required the use of more skills, especially with regard to the perception of the needs of others.

The above viewpoint can also be related to the concept of personal effectiveness. As noted in the above discussion on this issue, I found that communcistion and organization were important aspects of personal effectiveness can vary according to the individual and the requirements of the work environment. I found that communication skills were a vital element needed in order to understand the needs of others. This ability to communicate and perceive the attitudes and perceptions of others is an extremely useful skill to develop in the managerial and business milieu. For example, it is far more effective and productive in a negotiation process to work towards a settlement that satisfies all parties and which does not cause friction of divisiveness in the organization or the workplace.

The above can also be related to the concept of emotional intelligence. As discussed, this form of intelligence deals with the control as well as the expression of emotion. I found the concept of emotional intelligence to be extremely interesting and useful. It also made me aware of the face that the control of emotion in stressful situations was an area that required training.

In the final analysis it becomes clear from the above discussion and research that personal effectiveness, emotional intelligence and negotiation skills are important attributes that the modern manager and leader needs to acquire. It is also clear that these skills are not mutually exclusive and that there are many aspects that are interrelated. A study of these skills therefore opens up new avenues and possibilities in management.