College Students: What You Should Know When Re-entering the Workplace

On May 19, 2021   /   College Students, Emotional Intelligence   /   Leave a comment
College Students: What You Should Know When Re-entering the Workplace

If you’ve been following our blog, you know we’ve devoted considerable attention to Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ for Emotional Quotient) over the last few months.  

Emotional intelligence refers to a person’s ability to understand and articulate his/her own feelings as well as the feelings of others.  Those with high EQ have good self-regulation skills and understand how to empathize with the challenges that other people face.

As the world slowly returns to in-person workplace employment and face-to-face meetings, activities, and events, we want to help working college students feel confident about advocating for their own needs and how to understand complicated social and workplace scenarios.

As college students, you have many academic and extracurricular demands on you all of the time.  That said, your busy stressful academic/work-life should not lead to the neglect of your emotional well-being.

Daniel Goleman’s ground-breaking work in the 1990s explained the importance of EQ and defined its framework in terms of these five components:

  1. Self-awareness
  2. Self-regulation
  3. Motivation
  4. Empathy
  5. Social skills

Take an emotional intelligence test to help you reach your EQ goals.  Here’s a self-awareness exercise that you can conduct in your private time:

Set an alarm for various points during the day.  When the alarm goes off, stop what you’re doing and take an introspective look at how you’re feeling emotionally.  Do you feel anxious about an upcoming exam?  Do you feel that your current  status of life is lacking?   Are you comparing your circumstances to someone else’s?  Your anxiety may show up as physical irritation, a headache, or a sense of insecurity.  Perhaps you noticed you’ve been distracted from your academic or work assignments.

Meditation helps to improve your intuition and is an effective stress management tool.

Let us know in the comments section of this post if you took an introspective EQ test and if you like.  Above all, make it a great day!

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Guest Post: Getting 1 Step Closer to Meeting Face-to-Face

On May 5, 2021   /   Back to Work, Personal Accountability, Post Pandemic Return to Work   /   Leave a comment
Guest Post: Getting 1 Step Closer to Meeting Face-to-Face
Today’s blog is written by Tamika Brown, President and Chief Experience Officer of RSVP Premier Group LLC, a meeting, event, experiential marketing, incentive, concierge & lifestyle management company based in Troy, Michigan.  She is a contributing writer and has been featured in Michigan Meetings & Events Magazine, Meeting Planners International (MPI) Professional Magazine, Wedding Planner Magazine, and the DIY Television Network.  

Not sure about you but I have turned into a “Zombie” with all these online meetings and events.  As a planner who is accustomed to planning in-person events, the last year has proved to be quite challenging as it relates to determining which events can be reimagined in a virtual environment.  A survey conducted in the February Dashboard on PCMA.org suggests that other meeting planners and suppliers are finding the return of in-person events easier to see on the horizon and feeling less anxious about the future.   With safety measures such as rapid testing, venues commitment to cleanliness policies, the availability of on-site medical personnel, and other safety practices in place, we are getting one step closer to returning to face-to-face meetings.

Another important factor to consider as we prepare to return to meeting in-person is everyone involved (vendors, attendees, suppliers, etc.) must make a “personal accountability commitment” to keep not only themselves but everyone they come in contact with safe by adopting a multi-layer approach including wearing the appropriate 3-ply mask, social distancing, and taking the vaccine before attending large gatherings.

Looking forward to seeing you in person—soon.

Tamika

Tamika loves to write about event, experiential marketing, and providing solutions for customers face-to-face or in the digital arena.  You can connect with her on LinkedIn

Also, visit her awesome website at RSVP Premier Group LLC

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High Schoolers: An Important Note About Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

On April 21, 2021   /   Emotional Intelligence, Generation Z, High School Students   /   Leave a comment
High Schoolers: An Important Note About Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

As a high school student, you may be experiencing tremendous pressures to succeed…in academics, community activities, social activities, and more.  All of these factors culminate into the idea of becoming a successful adult with accountability.  While it is considered unfair by many, it is a fact that one of the measurements of successful adulthood is earning power in the workforce.

According to Workforce.com, highly emotionally intelligent individuals earn an average of $29,000 more per year than those who seemingly lack a socially acceptable degree of emotional intelligence (EQ).  Here are a couple of reasons they earn more:

1) They tend to manage their emotions with a level of grace and control in personal and professional circumstances.  Let’s be honest.  Emotional outbursts are frowned upon in most school and professional settings–it reflects a lack of self-control.  Using self-awareness and self-management, emotionally intelligent individuals are able to manage their emotions and thus project an image of stability and maturity. 

2) Given the fact that they understand how to manage self-control, they tend to be effective communicators.  They are thought leaders who don’t mind casting vulnerabilities aside.  They fearlessly share intriguing ideas with peers, mentors, teachers, and parents.  They successfully lead old, young, men, and women to greater heights and brighter paths.  

If you have the ability to put others at ease, it speaks volumes about your ability to inspire trust and to cultivate relationships.  These are but a couple of examples of what a respected and admired leader look like.  Emotional intelligence (EQ) is a powerful component of success.  Use it wisely.

Go forth and make it a great day !!

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Generation Z Should Know 4 Facts About Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

On April 7, 2021   /   Generation Z   /   Leave a comment
Generation Z Should Know 4 Facts About Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional Intelligence.  What is it?

Successful leaders have the ability to connect with others.  This ability is often labeled as charisma, however, those charismatic traits are strongly correlated to emotional intelligence (EQ).  Let’s briefly review the idea of emotional intelligence and what it looks like.

Oxford Dictionary defines emotional intelligence as “the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one’s emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.”  In a nutshell, EQ is our ability to connect with others utilizing our understanding of the emotions of others, as well as our own.

Harvard Business Review further breaks down EQ into four components:

  1. Self-awareness
  2. Self-management
  3. Social awareness
  4. Relationship management

Self-awareness:   I’m able to quickly and accurately ascertain my feelings.

This looks like:  I have a tight deadline for an upcoming project and as a result I’m feeling stressed which is causing me to be irritable and impatient with myself and others.

Self-management:  Because I’m aware of my emotions (good, bad, indifferent, obstinate…), I manage my behaviors in a positive manner. 

This looks like:  I know my project deadline is stressing me out and making me irritable and impatient.  I look for ways to work more efficiently, practice stress reduction techniques, and prioritize my responsibilities.  I take responsibility for having self-control.

Social Awareness:  I’m able to accurately ascertain the emotional state of others. I understand and respond to their needs.

This looks like:  My colleague who normally greets the team every morning goes straight to his/her desk without speaking to anyone.  I gently approach my colleague to say “hello” and prepare to listen to what they may want to share (if anything).

Relationship Management:  Because I’m aware of my emotions and the emotions of others, I’m able to successfully manage interpersonal experiences.

This looks like:  An agenda item in today’s sales meeting is about the deadline for an important project.  After the roundtable discussion about the project, it is clear the work was not evenly distributed among team members.  I notice frustrated body language from a few colleagues and I respectfully suggest how to equitably re-distribute the tasks based on individual expertise.  Management and the team agree with my suggestion and now everyone is visibly more relaxed and upbeat.

EQ is so much more than “having a great personality”.  An emotionally intelligent individual is highly conscious of his or her own emotional states and is tuned in to the emotions that others experience.  Emotional signals from within oneself and from one’s social environment could make one a better friend, parent, and yes, a better leader.

So, now that we know a little more about EQ and how to manage it for ourselves, let’s go out there and make it a great day !

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3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

On March 24, 2021   /   How to Communicate With Customers, How to Increase Customer Loyalty, Leadership, Virtual Customer Service   /   Leave a comment
3 Misconceptions Businesses Make About Generation Z

So, you think your brand understands how to impress Generation Z (Gen Z) to buy your product/service?  Compare your assumptions to the results of a Gen Z think tank survey:

  • When considering a purchase, quality is the top consideration for Gen Z with price a close second.  Accountability and trust tie for third place
  • Gen Z males said maintaining high quality on products will capture their loyalty while Gen Z females said great value for price will make them loyal to a brand 
  • Celebrity endorsements have the least effect on brand loyalty—even though Gen Zers have a fascination with pop culture

Members of Gen Z are those born between 1997 and 2015 putting them in the age range of 6-24 years old in 2021.

What matters to Gen Z is that they want businesses to know who they are and what they like/dislike.  To be clear, Gen Z is not a monolith, however, due diligence must be undertaken if you’re serious about including them in your client base.  Remember, Gen Z buying power in the U.S. is a whopping a $143 billion. That’s nearly 40 percent of all U.S. consumer shopping.  If that’s not impressive enough, 93% of parents say their Gen Z children influence their household spending and another 70% of parents ask their Gen Z kids for advice before making purchases.

Your company has a higher chance of attracting Gen Z to become loyal customers IF your core values align with their expectations.

Gen Zers are looking at your company’s mission, product quality, and service quality before committing to purchases. If you want their business and loyalty, review your corporate philosophy to determine if it conducive to the three points in this article.

Let’s all go out there and make it a great day.

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