Do You Question Assessments?
© Steve Whiteford 2023Many people question the value of assessments, and there are many reasons why. Here are a few:
Not Much Changes – Communication
Communication begins with a cry in infancy. It’s a skillful way to meet our needs and get what we want. It’s interesting to consider that most of our communication (I’m resisting an unresearched percentage here) is based on the same motivation. Give it a thought. You might become altruistic and counter with, “But I want…
A Controversial Note on Recognition
© Steve Whiteford 2023 Employee Recognition has been a popular trend for several years, but from my observation and experience has some challenges. Studies have proven that recognition programs increase employee motivation, productivity, and happiness. Yet I’ve also witnessed and experienced that it can be a task to get people engaged in the process, beyond…
EI is the Depth Charge for Recovering and Moving Forward
© Steve Whiteford 2022 Emotional Intelligence (EI) should be a very familiar topic for HR Professionals. Some say the science of EI was cited as early as the 1920s, but Daniel Goleman’s book, Emotional Intelligence brought it into popular culture in 1995 when he published his groundbreaking book by the same title. I was in…
A Life-enhancing Tool for Increasing Emotional Self-awareness
©Steve Whiteford 2023 The “Mood Meter” originated from the work of James A. Russell and his Circumplex model of “Affect” which mapped the interplay of Valence (pleasure/displeasure) and Arousal (intensity/alertness). Versions associated with Emotional Intelligence were popularized by Caruso and Salovey, and Mark Bracket at Yale University. These represent the same factors with blocks of…
Stop Using Rhetoric that Says Emotions Are Bad; Help Culture Resolve and Evolve!
©Steve Whiteford 2023 Emotional Intelligence is a popular science that is useful for Leadership Development, Communication in business, and Employee Relations. I’ve taught it from the traits model and the skills strategy which combine very well and deliver strong results. The greatest challenge in promoting self-awareness and the skills of emotional intelligence is that our…
What is Emotional Labor?
© Steve Whiteford 2021 Recently when I was teaching my Emotional Intelligence workshop to a Covid-exhausted non-profit healthcare team, they identified Emotional Labor as a strong concern. It’s easy to understand why. The caregivers in this group were especially attuned to the need to stay positive for patients and their teams. And they often needed to deliver…
To Catch an Emotional Competency Thief
© Steve Whiteford 2021 One of the trickiest emotions that is sure to keep you stuck and crash your efforts to effectively manage your limiting feelings and thoughts is based in self-judgment or self-pity. Scientists call this a Meta-Emotion (an emotion about an emotion.) Mindfulness masters call it “Second Suffering.” It’s when you’re angry, embarrassed,…
How “Acceptance” Works in Emotional Intelligence
© Steve Whiteford 2021 “Acceptance” can be a difficult concept. It comes up in spiritual study a lot, and though not always directly presented in Emotional Intelligence, it is essential to the skill. It seems to imply passivity and compliance. “So I’m not supposed to have a response or take action when I don’t like…
Which Came First?
© Steve Whiteford 2021 Learning Emotional Self-Awareness and being mindful of feelings and thoughts can present a “chicken or the egg” dilemma. Which will be my first cure. the thought or the feeling? There may be some very precise neuroscience I’ve not read, but from personal experience, I’m moved to say it really doesn’t matter….