Heather had the opportunity to undertake a second Emotional Intelligence (TEIQue) assessment about two and a half years after the first and wasn’t surprised to see it had changed.
She had moved from a very structured environment to a much more autonomous one and what was of notable significance was how her scores for self-control, happiness and optimism had changed.
Wellbeing is fluid and connected with the environment a person finds themselves in and Heather found that her scores for these factors had declined, which she attributed to the more unstructured, free-flowing environment she now operated in.
When it came to objective setting, she wanted to give some thought to the objectives that could help her feel more able to manage the pressures of her job and improve her happiness and optimism scores.
Being out of her comfort zone meant that she was spending a lot of energy attempting to manage other people’s perceptions of her, and as a direct result of this, she often felt restless, anxious and unsure of her impact.
Having a high Influence score reflects the fact that Heather places great importance on building and maintaining relationships. She can be critical of herself when relationships are difficult or break down and is more likely to experience feelings of emotional exhaustion.
She also found that she was experiencing “imposter syndrome”, worrying about whether or not she was doing a good enough job and whether or not she deserved training. It seemed that without validation and clarity, she would struggle to move forward.
Heather resolved to set herself some goals that aligned with her core values and that would enable her to function more effectively, with less emphasis on emotion. Alignment with her core values was essential to ensure that the objectives actually achieved their aim and weren’t abandoned because they were unrealistic or intangible.
As a Development Consultant conducting training, Heather frequently sought feedback from her clients. One of the chief things she settled on was to take the emotion and the rejection element out of this feedback, so it was easier for her to utilise. This required a change of language. Instead of trying to build her credibility simply based on how much people liked her, she decided to focus on the delivery of outcomes.
To this end, she started asking “what went well?”, “did we deliver on the brief?” and “what could be developed further?” This shifted the focus from personal feedback to delivery and process and she immediately she felt that the feedback she received was more valid and meaningful.
Our values are about who we are and what we want. Removing things that you enjoy and that make you happy, makes you less satisfied with life and ultimately leads to goals failing. In contrast, adding positive elements to your life, enhances it and leads to success. As Heather found, setting goals in your personal life and at work can be successful if they are aligned with core values. The key is in understanding your core values and how they are impacted on by your environment.
Heather’s use of the Thomas International TEIQue assessment led to her successfully realigning her goals so that she was able to work more effectively and achieve her goals. Thomas International has a suite of tools to deepen your insight of yourself and your team. Contact us to find out more and discover how we can help you shape your business for success.
