Abstract:

The United Arab Emirates is emerging as the business capital of the Middle East. In this complex, demanding environment, to what extent do the “soft skills” of emotional intelligence matter? In a study of 418 leaders living in the region, there is a very strong relationship between emotional intelligence skills and performance outcomes. Scores on the SEI (Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment) predict over 58% of the variation in critical professional and personal success factors (such as effectiveness, influence, relationships, and career status). This means that if you want to get ahead in the Middle East, emotional intelligence is one of the most important capacities to develop.

A pdf version of the report and summary slides are available for download

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We are delighted to announce that Six Seconds has opened its seventh office in the world.  The new office is located in Amman, Jordan and will be managed by certified Six Seconds practitioners Mr. Nadeem Nahhas and Ms. Souhair Dahdaleh.

Nadeem’s commitment to developing the people-side of performance began when he worked in Sales and Marketing across different sectors within the service industry.  After 6 years as a trainer and consultant, he became increasingly committed to the core skills of emotional intelligence as “the difference that makes the difference” in performance.  His Noble Goal is “To influence people positively towards healthy and fruitful living” and he is committed to living his life as a role-model manifesting the principles of emotional intelligence.

Having worked for about 9 years in the Marketing and Management fields, Souhair found out that her real calling in life lies in helping and empowering people. Her noble goal is “To passionately foster inspirational support and empowerment.” In order to live this noble goal, she did a career shift from Marketing to soft skills training and coaching. She became passionate about EQ after attending a short workshop in Jordan and reading a number of EQ books and then joining Six Seconds’ programs in the region.

The new office is in line with Six Seconds commitment to spread the transformational skills of EQ into even more places in the world, and specifically expand in the Middle East region.  The Jordan office brings group of highly prestigious and certified Arabic speaking professionals to its pool of certified Emotional Intelligence (EQ) practitioners which incorporates more than 3,000 members worldwide.   The timing is perfect with the momentum and growth Human Capital Development is witnessing in Jordan and the Middle East area and the need to build stronger, healthier, and more prosperous communities, businesses, families, and nations in the region and beyond.

With the global economic slowdown, Jordan’s GDP growth has suffered and foreign assistance to the government in 2009 dropped; slowing down the government’s efforts to control the large budget deficit. Jordan is mainly a services based economy where services consist of more than 65% of total GDP. This means that Jordan’s Human Capital represents a major asset and has a direct impact on the economic growth in the country.  In introducing EQ to Jordan, Six Seconds Jordan team is committed  to carry out a positive role in developing the skills and capabilities of the employees of various development sectors, and apply up-to-date training and consulting methods to meet the needs and wants of the different organizations in the private and public sectors.

As Nadeem put it: “We feel elated and proud to have been chosen to represent the Six Seconds network in Jordan.  It gives us great pleasure to launch Six Seconds’ unique Emotional Intelligence (EQ) training and consulting services, and become a real contributor to the latest research and development in this arena.”

For press coverage of the launch, see AME Info (English) or Al Malaf (Arabic)

Organizations Change Starting with People.

People Change Starting with Emotions.

This book shows you why… and how.

“INSIDE CHANGE provides a powerful and whole-minded approach to organizational transformation. Blending cutting-edge neuroscience with rock-solid business logic, this book will change the way you lead.”

Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and DRIVE

“INSIDE CHANGE is a solid, powerful book for every leader. The typical business approach to change just doesn’t work – this book will show you a better way.”
Alan Deutschman, author of Change or Die and Walk the Walk.

Drawing on a decade of experience applying emotional intelligence to leading change, Joshua Freedman (COO, Six Seconds global) and Massimiliano Ghini (Regional Director, Six Seconds Europe) provide a practical roadmap for making change work.  Whatever your approach to change, whether you’re driving LEAN or following the Kotter steps or supporting people in the Prochaska stages, you’ve seen that the human side – the emotional dimension – will make or break the process.  After all, less than 30% of change efforts succeed… and over 70% of the failures are due to people challenges.  How do you make sure you’re in the 30%?

For information and ordering options, see www.insidechange.net

Or order at a discount from Six Seconds (the publisher) (link: http://tinyurl.com/icorder )

CIBA Specialty Chemical is engaged in a major change initiative — and using emotional intelligence to accelerate the process. The commitment to EQ assisted the CIBA team to achieve important business goals — for example, over two years, productivity increased by 18% while simultaneously reducing complaints by 73%.
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Shan, a Six Seconds Network EQ Trainer, is interviewed on morning TV in Kuala Lumpur – “The Case for EQ”:

Dubai Knowledge Village Highlights Catalyst Role Of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) For Organizational Growth – Workshop Features EQ Guru Joshua Freedman

Dubai Knowledge Village (DKV), a member of TECOM Investments, recently hosted a presentation by Joshua Freedman, a world leading authority on developing and applying Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Chief Operating Officer of Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Network, highlighting the potential of EQ as a catalyst for growth among organizations.

Freedman was addressing a workshop on ‘The EQ Advantage: The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence’, organized by Dubai Knowledge Village in partnership with Dynamic Learning-Six Seconds, a leading training and development consultancy offering an effective range of human resource solutions. Over 160 delegates attended the event.

In his presentation, Freedman detailed how people can increase EQ to be happier, stronger and more effective as an individual and a professional. Essentially regarded a soft skill, emotional intelligence is defined as ‘the ability to use emotions effectively – the key competence for relating to people, sustaining drive, and making optimal decisions’.

Dr Ayoub Kazim, Executive Director, Dubai Knowledge Village and Dubai International Academic City, said: “Joshua Freedman is acclaimed worldwide for his transformational learning programmes. It was an honour to have him lead the DKV workshop on Emotional Intelligence that saw him sharing practical strategies for applying the concept into one’s personal or professional life.

“In line with our mission to contribute towards strengthening Dubai’s knowledge base, Dubai Knowledge Village aims to periodically host such open workshops that offer fresh insights into developing additional skills.”

During the day-long event, Freedman highlighted several case studies and surveys focusing on organizational challenges to demonstrate how companies effectively leverage the science to enhance individual and team productivity.

Captivating the audience with his dynamic presence and signature humour that served as an effective ice-breaker, Freedman emphasized ‘belonging’ and ‘purpose’ as two crucial engagement factors, boosting EQ’s potential as a major building block for long-term success. He additionally discussed how emotions, as a vital component of strategic thinking, could motivate people to achieve higher levels of efficiency and ultimately contribute to the phenomenal growth of an organization.

The workshop on EQ was organised as part of Dubai Knowledge Village’s endeavour to grow as a regional centre for learning and excellence, while continuing to spearhead activities that highlight the importance of developing a highly skilled knowledge community.

Home to over 400 professional training centres, the cluster specializes in human resource development, human resource management, professional testing, as well as management training and consultancy services.

Source: Dubai City Guide, Nov 30, 2008

In Leaders Worth Following I wrote, “in times of trouble, true leaders provide both comfort and challenge…. They blend head and heart to be trustworthy, courageous, and authentic – to take care of their people and walk together toward a compelling purpose.”

I’d like to emphasize the power of that purpose – it builds trust.  Not just internally, but externally as well.  Leaders with purpose, who build organizations with purpose, have a unique level of transparency and direction:  Their work is FOR something, and people can see and feel that.

Take Triodos, an alternative bank in Netherlands and branches in Spain and Britain, which invests in green, social, and cultural projects.  They have a clear, compelling mission that they live.  In times of challenge while most banks are struggling, Triodos experienced a five times increase in deposits last month.

Managing director Oliver Marquet’s explanation is they are clear about what and why they do:  “Transparency is absolutely key and explains why we hold on well in crisis.”  I suspect the transparency is driven by that clear purpose – one that also creates optimism and hope for employees and customers.

The article in Reuters today “Ethical banks win new customers” also gives the example of the Ecology Building Society in UK, whose deposits are doubling.  The bottom line: these small, purpose-driven organizations are more trustworthy because they care.

Executive Summary

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to use emotions effectively. Since the publication of the initial research in 1990, innovative organizations have begun testing how to integrate EQ into training and hiring to gain competitive advantage. It is becoming increasingly clear that these skills are the foundation of high-performing organizations.

A range of implementation strategies have been used to deploy EQ, primarily in selection and training. The competencies are measurable and learnable; they can be developed through training and coaching. The most effective implementation strategies seek to integrate EQ into the organizational culture. While there are numerous implementation strategies, researched EQ applications include:

• increased sales performance through recruiting and training more emotionally intelligent salespeople.
• improved customer service through recruiting higher EQ customer service reps.
• superior leadership performance by developing and recruiting for executive EQ.

Companies have demonstrated that using EQ in training and organizational climate change can reduce costs associated with turnover, absenteeism, and low performance.

Research has provided clear evidence that emotionally intelligent leaders are more successful. Many of these studies yield bottom-line results: At PepsiCo, for example, executives selected for EQ competencies generated 10% more productivity. High EQ sales people at L’Oreal brought in $2.5 million more in sales. An EQ initiative at Sheraton helped increase market share by 24%.

One of the most important applications of EQ is in helping leaders foster a workplace climate conducive to high performance. These workplaces yield significantly higher productivity, retention, and profitability, and emotional intelligence appears key to this competitive advantage.

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Excerpt:

While many leaders possess the technical skills to succeed, exceptional leaders have a secret ingredient that inspires businesses to world-class performance: Emotional Quotient (EQ).

EQ is the ability to integrate thinking and feeling to make optimal decisions and is the foundation of high performing relationships. Businesses lose customers when they fail to form strong relationships with them. According to research, 70 per cent of all lost sales are EQ related and only 30 per cent are lost because of product, service quality, features or business benefits.

In today’s highly competitive world, it is important for organisations to use all available resources to the best of their ability, which includes EQ. Organisations and businesses from Microsoft and Lockheed Martin to the US Navy and Marine Corps are realising the benefits of EQ and are including EQ training in their work culture to help their staff become masterful at the “people side” of leadership.

Joshua Freedman is a master-trainer and author of books on EQ and the COO of Six Seconds, a company that develops leadership strategies. Freedman spoke to Emirates Business about the importance of EQ on the eve of his visit to the UAE for a seminar.

What role does EQ play in the success or failure of a business?

EQ is the capacity to be smart with feelings, to integrate emotion and analysis to make optimal decisions. The abbreviation ‘EQ’ comes from ‘Emotional Quotient’ – the measure of emotional intelligence. EQ is a learnable, measurable capacity that has profound affects on individual, team and organisational performance. Emotions make or break trust, change and innovation. We’ve all experienced how emotions can hamper our ability to solve problems and to build loyalty. However the opposite is also true and emotions can be used in a positive way to solve problems and build loyalty. Organisations rich in EQ have the assets to create a context where people excel. Can you imagine an organisation where trust is abundant and people are thrilled to come to work? Think how effectively people there would solve problems and innovate… And just imagine what customers would feel walking in that place. Once businesses succeeded because they had some unique product or process. Today’s businesses are more complex and are operating in a global market with constant, rapid change. In this context businesses succeed or fail because of people – and the way people connect internally and to customers. Emotions are the language and glue of relationships and emotional intelligence skills are the key to using emotions well.

How can businesses and organisations benefit from the strategy?

Our clients use EQ in developing three main areas of their business: leaders worth following, change that succeeds, and loyal customers. Real leaders envision a future and enroll people to co-create it. They inspire trust, courage, commitment and hope. While brilliance is essential, it’s not enough. Great leaders need to connect with people at a gut level. They have unique insight into people and they have a unique capacity to manage their own energy so that it resonates with others. This all grows from emotional intelligence – and we can teach these skills and make them part of the leadership culture. In terms of change, most efforts fail. Perhaps only 10 per cent of change efforts really hit the mark. Why? It is because most approaches to change focus on developing a technical and strategic plan, and they forget that humans need to execute the plan. How good is a strategy if people are not on board, or even actively resisting? So you need to take into account the human dynamics and the emotions that drive people. We can measure these intangibles, tweak strategies so they work with, rather than against, people, and teach competencies to make it work. Finally, in terms of customers, it’s a truism that relationship is everything. But how do you actually build that? EQ helps create a workforce that actually cares about customers and knows how to show it.

Link to Emirates 24/7

Marilynn Jorgensen, one of Six Seconds’ Senior Consultants, interviewed about the role of emotional intelligence in business by Greg Fairlie on “Inside Business” City 7, Dubai.

Part 1:

Part 2:

In Training & Development – February 2008 (download article in PDF)

Two excerpts:

A decade ago any talk of emotional intelligence would draw strange looks. Now many organizations include it among core competencies required for high performers.

Where emotions were once dismissed as raw and inappropriate in the office, they are now utilized as data by savvy leaders, according to Joshua Freedman, chief operating officer of Six Seconds Consulting in San Francisco.

“Leaders don’t care about emotional intelligence,” Freedman says. “They care about a business problem they have. Emotional intelligence is a tool they can use in the service of solving the problem.”

Instead of encouraging individuals to act differently, training in emotional intelligence teaches participants to observe and analyze their own behavior while also taking note of peer reactions.

“Most corporate training focuses on behavior such as shaking hands and making direct eye contact,” Freedman says. “Emotional intelligence teaches you to pay attention to what drives the behavior of others. Emotions are data. They are real. The training takes a logical approach to emotions.”

Interview on The Leader’s Playbook

Today’s guest is Joshua Freedman the author of At the Heart of Leadership, and an expert in Emotional Intelligence and Organizational Change. He is the COO and one of the founders of Six Seconds, one of the oldest and leading EI programs in the world. Joshua is a master EI trainer having trained over 10,000 people in 10 nations.

Listen to the interview online

When the stakes are high, life and death for the people or the company, change will happen – right? Fast Company senior writer Alan Deutschman was surprised that the answer is “no.” He was attending a conference on the future of healthcare where the dean of Johns Hopkins talked about what happens to cardiac patients when they’re told to “change or die.” The incident led to an in-depth analysis of individual and organizational change with a startling conclusion: While change is possible, the usual approach doesn’t work.

There’s a podcast that goes with this article!

 

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How often have you heard an executive pull out the “change or die” rhetoric, attempting to rally the forces by enjoining them to take up a last-ditch effort to save the company? The “common sense” notion is that a forceful presentation of facts will instill fear causing employees to take the transformation seriously. Confronted with this hard-edged urgency, there will be no room for dissent. The trouble is that even in real “change or die” situations, people don’t change. Real change requires a much more subtle, relationship-driven approach.

Take the case of a cardiac patient just after a bypass: “You’re in a change or die situation,” Deutschman explains, “You have to switch to a much healthier lifestyle or you’re going to be killed by this terrible disease that you have. And even when doctors tell these patients you have to change or die, study after study has shown that two years later, nine out of ten of the heart patients have not changed. We like to think that crisis and fear motivate people to change. And yet the studies have shown that even in the change or die situation most people can’t change. That just really blew me away and made me want to understand the psychology.”

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