Emotional Intelligence as a Coaching Tool
This article was originally published in the newspaper “La Estrella” and is part of a biweekly column from the ICF Panama Chapter to disseminate what Professional Coaching is. It seeks to inform, create more awareness and differentiate professional coaching, in which the Coach is governed by ethical principles and is continually improving his or her skills.
See the original article in this link.
In the coaching process, various concepts and tools are used to support the coachees, according to the approach of the process and the training and toolbox of the coaches.
The concept of emotional intelligence is one of the tools we can use.
Yuval Noah Harari, historian and philosopher, author of books such as “21 lessons for the 21st century,” considers emotional intelligence and mental balance as two essential skills for the rest of our lives.
Daniel Goleman, one of the pioneers of emotional intelligence, published an article in 1996 that is still considered essential reading in Harvard Business Review on leadership issues, called “What does a leader do?”
This article focuses the concept of an emotionally intelligent leader on five elements: self-awareness, self-discipline, motivation, empathy and social skill.
To the self-knowledge The main characteristics are associated with: self-confidence, a realistic self-evaluation and a self-critical sense of humor.
The main characteristics of the self-discipline They are reliability and integrity, being comfortable with ambiguity and openness to change.
Passion to meet objectives, optimism, even in situations of failure, and commitment to the organisation are the three main characteristics in motivation.
The ability to build and retain talent, sensitivity to different cultures and being focused on customer service are the characteristics of the empathy.
In the social skill The author refers to effectiveness in leadership of change, the power of persuasion and the ability to build and lead teams.
Looking at the characteristics described, these still constitute a valid model more than twenty years after its original expression. What changes is our mental map and the form or order of importance in different contexts.
The concept of emotional intelligence was developed more recently, with a very practical approach, by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves, who define two major competencies, personal and social. In the personal competence, it is important self-awareness -recognise one’s own emotions and tolerate discomfort- and self-management – tolerate uncertainty and pursue objectives, not needs. In the social competence, it is important social consciousness -recognise emotions in others, listen and observe- and relationship management -manage interactions successfully and strengthen connections.
Particularly, I consider the model, developed by Dr. Reuven Bar-On and Jonathan and Leight Bowman-Perks, to be quite useful as a tool in coaching, which considers factors of emotional intelligence, intrapersonal factors, connected to self-awareness and self-expression, factors interpersonal of social awareness and interaction, factors of stress management associated with emotional management and control, factors of adaptability and change management and factors general like self-motivation.
In coaching, these models can be worked on, for example, considering the areas or factors in which the coachee has opportunities for improvement, the areas in which they already function effectively, and the areas in which they have superior performance.
The concept of emotional intelligence significantly impacts behaviours and relationships and can thus be worked on using any of these theoretical frameworks. The most important thing in the coaching process is the use of methodologies appropriate to each client, the objectives of the process and the specific objectives of each session.
The coachee can use their own reflection and/or incorporate the perception of their stakeholders or people of interest, such as family, friends, co-workers, peers, bosses and members of their team, benefiting the coachee from a systemic perspective. Humility, courage and discipline with the process strongly impact the results.
The process in general is enriched when the coachee opens up to feedback from his or her stakeholders, in a positive circle of reflection, integration of learning, listening to suggestions for improvement, evaluation and action.
Fatima Ribeiro, ACC
The author is ACC (ICF Associated Certified Coach), Coach in professional development, leadership and teams processes and member of the Board of Directors of ICF Panama.
