Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence Essay

This report, entitled â€Å"Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence† was prepared as my 1B Work Report for PD2: Critical Reflection and Report Writing. This is my first work term report. The purpose of this report is to determine key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales representatives at CIBC, as well as analysis on my emotional intelligence skills and how to improve them to better my academic, professional, and social performance. PD2 is designed to help students learn critical reflection and report writing. The activities of the course guide students through the process of  writing a formal report. Through the completion of the course assignments and the creation of this report, I have learned how to complete a report following a set of guidelines. I have also had the opportunity to reflect on my current skill set and to identify areas for improvement. This report was written entirely by me and has not received any previous academic credit at this or any other institution. I received no assistance. Table of Contents List of Figures and Tablesiii Summaryiv 1.0 Introduction1 2.0 My Emotional Intelligence Assessment2 2.1 Analysis2 2.2 Reflection4 3.0 Emotional Intelligence and performance at CIBC5 3.1 Analysis5 3.2 Reflection6 4.0 Conclusions7 5.0 Recommendations8 References10 Appendix A – PD2 Checklist11 List of Figures and Tables Figure 1. My Five Emotional Intelligence Areas of Interest 2 Figure 2. Emotional Intelligence Skill-sets and Scores6 Table 1. August 2012 Volunteer Schedule9 Summary This report is titled â€Å"Professional Skills: Emotional Intelligence†. The purpose of this report is to analyze key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales associates at CIBC, as well as analysis on my emotional intelligence skills and how they affect my  academic, professional, and social performance. My assessment was done online through Emotional Quotient Inventory. The study done by CIBC consisted of data collected over a six-month period and emotional intelligence scores done through Emotional Quotient Inventory. In conclusion, many areas of emotional intelligence, such as interpersonal skills and self-actualization, contribute greatly to the performance of the sales representatives. Companies should start using emotional intelligence for selection of their sales representatives, and this way, they can successfully select higher performing sales representatives. From my assessment, it shows that my top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. I should volunteer at the local community centre to become more socially responsible, therefore become more successful in every aspect of my life. 1.0 Introduction Recently, emotional intelligence is being regarding more and more importantly by employers, parents, and teachers. Success in school, at work, and in life depends on social and emotional skills and, unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be improved. There are numerous areas where emotional intelligence can directly affect performance. This report discusses my emotional intelligence scores, and explains how my emotional and social functioning impacts my academic, professional, and personal performance. It also discusses the results from the study done by CIBC that determined key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales associates. Since recruiting and training can be costly, employers always try to lower the turnover rate and increase the success rate. This report provides useful information about emotional intelligence that could solve this problem. My assessment was done online through Emotional Quotient Inventory. The study done by CIBC consisted of data collected over a six-month period and emotional intelligence scores done through Emotional Quotient Inventory. 2.0 My Emotional Intelligence Assessment By using Emotional Quotient Inventory, it helped me to identify my perceived frequency of emotionally intelligent behaviours in terms of fifteen  established emotional intelligence skills. 2.1 Analysis Among the fifteen emotional intelligence skills, five of which have been identified as significant areas, including top three strengths and two areas offering the greatest opportunity for personal development. Figure 1. My Five Emotional Intelligence Areas of Interest My top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. The Interpersonal Relationship component is defined as the ability to develop and maintain mutually rewarding relationships that are characterized by intimacy and the exchange of affection (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2012). I am generally able to establish mutually satisfying relationships through communication that includes a balance of listening, empathy, and sharing of information. My results for the emotional self-awareness scale indicate that I am generally in touch with my feelings and that I usually know what my are feeling and why. In addition, I usually feel comfortable expressing my feelings and ideas to friends, fellow students, and co-workers without feeling threatened. Individuals who find their lives personally, academically, and socially rewarding are generally more successful in what they do (Multi-Health Syst ems Inc., 2012). People with happy dispositions are likely to be more proactive, resilient to adverse conditions, and less prone to stress symptoms. I am this type of person. I feel satisfied with my life, genuinely enjoy the company of others, and am able to derive pleasure from my daily routine. For the weaknesses, my results from the Social Responsibility scale suggest that that I am fairly self-aspiring and may put my own desires and needs above those of others. In some cases, my results reflect recognition that I sometimes act without full consideration of the effects of my behaviors on others and further suggest a lack of regard for others or for social regulations. Furthermore, I appear to be lacking self-confidence in many, if not most situations. It is during these moments of uncertainty when my functioning may suffer. These areas should be considered an area for improvement. 2.2 Reflection The results have been identified to help me maximize my social and emotional functioning by leveraging my strengths and by enhancing areas for development in order to achieve personal, academic, and professional success. Through the assessment, I have learned about my strengths as well as my weaknesses. What I should do to improve social responsibility is to take control of my emotions, since it is the most critical aspects of social responsibility. Also, to improve my self-regard, I should try to be optimistic and have confidence in myself. I also should try to be less critical towards my actions in order to increase my confidence level and self-regard. In the future, I will further apply what I have learned about myself, keep improving myself in areas such as self-regard and become more socially responsible. This way, by combining with the positive aspects of myself, I will be able to reach my potential and success in every aspect of my life. 3.0 Emotional Intelligence and performa nce at CIBC determined key emotional intelligence characteristics that define successful sales representatives. 3.1 Analysis The CIBC Global Private Banking and Trust team conducted a study where the emotional intelligence levels of the successful and unsuccessful sales representatives were assessed (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). The results for this study were obtained over a six-month period. After the study, it turned out that many EI skill-sets are clearly conducive to higher performance. As shown in the chart below, the two key emotional intelligence skill-sets for success were interpersonal skills and self-actualization (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). Interestingly, having a lower score in impulse control in combination with higher scores in other EI areas, translated into higher performance amongst sales representatives (Multi-Health Systems Inc., 2011). In addition, the difference in scores was very small for three areas: social responsibility, impulse control, and reality testing. Figure 2. Emotional Intelligence Skill-sets and Scores 3.2 Reflection Since I am working as a sales representative for the CIBC’s Petro Points Mastercard this co-op term, I have compared my results of the emotional intelligence assessment with the result from the study CIBC conducted. Also,  comparing my sales volume with the high and low performing sales representatives. Both successful sales representatives and I have high scores in areas of interpersonal relationship, happiness; and low score in social responsibility. In addition, my sales volume is in the top ten percent in the company. This shows that I am a high performing sales representative, and the emotional intelligence assessment accurately determines the factors affecting sales volume. Studies also have shown that emotional intelligence and leadership abilities are closely related. Emotional intelligence also determines the performance of debt collectors, insurance agents, and air force recruiters. 4.0 Conclusions From the study done by CIBC, it can be concluded that many areas of emotional intelligence, such as interpersonal skills and self-actualization, contribute greatly to the performance of the sales representatives. Interestingly, areas such as social responsibility, impulse control, and reality testing do not affect performance since the difference in scores between the high and low performing sales representatives were insignificant. My assessment closely matched the scores of high performing sales representatives, and my sales volume is considered high in my company. My EI scores and performance on the job are closely related. From my assessment of emotional intelligence, it can be concluded that my top three strengths are interpersonal relationship, emotional self-awareness, and happiness; and my two weaknesses are social responsibility and self-regard. By improving on my areas of weakness, I can be successful in every aspect of my life. 5.0 Recommendations Companies such as Royal Bank of Canada and Scotia Bank should start using emotional intelligence for selection of their sales representatives, this way, they can successfully select higher performing sales representatives. This method should be implemented by the end of 2013, since many companies such as CIBC already use this method for selection of employees. I should volunteer at the local community centre, Frank Mckechnie Community Centre, to improve my poor social responsibility score. I will do so from August 1st to August 31st, three hours a week, to help children and seniors who attend activities at the Centre. Below is the volunteer schedule I created. Since  the Centre is always in need of volunteers, I can easily obtain this opportunity to improve my emotional intelligence level. Table 1. August 2012 Volunteer Schedule References Champion, R., Paci, T. & Vardon, J. (2012). 1121t1125 PD 2: Critical Reflection and Report Writing. Retrieved 10 May, 2012, from https://learn.uwaterloo.ca/d2l/lp/homepage/home.d2l?ou=32500 Multi-Health Systems Inc. (2011). Emotional Intelligence and Return on Investment. Instrumental in Individual and Organizational Development. Retrieved 1 July, 2012, from http://www.qualifying.org/about/MHS_Brief_ROI.pdf Multi-Health Systems Inc. (2012). Student Summary Report. Emotional Quotient Inventory: Higher Education. Appendices Appendix A: PD 2 Report Checklist Your report must: [X] Include 4-6 pages of body content. Figures or tables that are included in the body are excluded in the 4-6 page count. (Example: 8 pages of content that includes a one-page figure and a half-page table counts as 6.5 pages of body content.) Adherence to the 3Cs (clarity, conciseness, and coherence) will allow you to meet this page limit. [X] Include at least one table (Place the table in the body of your report if you discuss it in detail; place the table in an appendix if your analysis refers to it only briefly.) [X] Include at least one figure (Place the figure in the body of your report if you discuss it in detail; place the figure in an appendix if your analysis refers to it only briefly.) [X] Use a 12-point serif font [X] Be double-spaced [X] Be written in formal, standard English, with no contractions [X] Be spellchecked and proofread [X] Include pages numbered according to the conventions described in the Report Resources tab. Your report must conform to the format and conventions described in the Report Resources page. You do not have to bind your report or include a front cover because you will submit your report to us online. Your report will include the following pages and sections: [X] Title page [X] Letter of submittal (addressed to the PD 2 course instructor) [X] Table of contents [X] List of figures and tables, if appropriate (Figures or tables in an appendix should not be listed on the List of figures and tables; figures or tables elsewhere in your report are required to be on this list.) [X] Summary [X] Introduction [X] Body (that includes both an objective analytical component and a reflective component) [X] Conclusions (the section is â€Å"conclusions† as in â€Å"findings†, not â€Å"conclusion†) [X] Recommendations (specific, measurable, and attainable) [X] References [X] Appendices (you need at least one appendix which includes this checklist)