Would it be easier to manage?

Would it be more productive?

Or would you have a bunch of idiots blissfully ignorant of the fact that your organisation is not as competitive as it should be?

As Personal Development Guru Tony Robbins says, “You can motivate an idiot, but all you’ve got is a motivated idiot!” The same could be true for optimistic people.

I don’t know about you, but if I had to choose between a group of people who were well intentioned, optimistic people keen to gain direction or a bunch of negativists who were disengaged or paralysed by fear, I would choose the first group. Besides, optimism does not equate to being “Pollyanna” about things.

Optimism and pessimism are attitudes which affect the way we see the world and what is happening around us. Optimists see success as the result of their own hard work, whereas a pessimist views success as being the result of good luck or fate.

Optimists see something like the loss of a job as a short term problem or the result of a lack of work in their field. They tell themselves that they will work hard to find another job, and as a result, another job will be secured. A pessimist sees a job loss as someone else’s doing: their boss does not like them, the system is against them, and/or life is not fair. When a pessimist loses their job, they see it as a huge barrier. They may even take it to the extent that they will never find work again.

Optimism is just one quality of a person who may be regarded as Emotionally Intelligent. It is seen as a factor of ‘Motivation’ and the ability to bounce back after a setback, in other words, resilience.

There are five essentials of Emotional Intelligence (EI), according to Daniel Goleman, who brought the term to prominence in 1995 with his book Emotional Intelligence: Why it matters more than IQ.

  • Self Awareness – being aware of our emotions
  • Self-regulation – managing our emotions (optimism would be a quality here)
  • Motivation – being motivated to follow goals by other things than money and status (optimism is also an important quality here)
  • Empathy – being aware of the emotions in others and their implications
  • Social Skill – An ability to build rapport and manage relationships

Goleman’s research has found that EI is twice as important for individual and organisational success than IQ and Technical Skills combined. The latter two will get your foot in the door, but EI will help you to advance yourself.

The question is, can EI be taught? Sure we can intellectualise what might be good to have it but can we learn it in our adulthood?

The answer is yes but there is some fine print attached!

It depends on how motivated the individual is to want to change. This of course, is a catch-twenty-two; we have to have some level of EI to have motivation in the first place.

However, if the person, say a middle manager, could see that working on the five areas above can produce them benefit. Further, if someone is working with them (a coach or manager) to help them improve, then there is possibility to help change take effect.

Is it possible for everyone to change? Is it possible for all people to gain high Emotional intelligence? The answer to that is ‘no’ because not all people will want to go on the journey and some may be starting from a low base.

I recently had someone on our ‘Complete Manager Course’ who had stated categorically at the start that he didn’t “do” feelings; he was a thinker and wasn’t about to change. At the end of the program his top goal for back-in the-workplace was to practice the empathy techniques he was taught.

It is possible to develop these skills with the right trainer/coach and ingredients in place. The benefits, as Goleman suggests, are huge.

Is your organisation investing in this process?