The following is a sample of 4 skills and associated behaviors that can enhance any selling process.

1. Self Awareness

How you show up and present yourself (look, demeanor, attitude, communication style, etc) to a client forms a huge part of how they perceive (and feel about) you. Make it good because their perception of you is their reality. Be very mindful of how you come across.

2. Awareness of Others

Strive more to help the client get what they want to buy, rather than just what you want to sell. Consequently, you will listen better, be more informed, and establish much better rapport and more likely close the deal; be genuinely empathetic.

3. Emotional Decision Making

Many argue that we justify based on facts but make decisions on emotions. The important piece to consider is that both are in play and often we over emphasize the former and forget about the latter. Simply take time to consider how those impacted by what you have to offer really feel about it. Ask, what’s your feeling at this time – you might be surprised with the answer you get.

4. Self Management

Inevitably in sales you are going to meet with disappointment. Don’t let this show in front of potential clients. You can manage these emotions and maintain a positive disposition at all times; remain resilient.

Emotionally intelligent behavior can be summed up as doing the appropriate thing with the appropriate person at the appropriate time.

In fact some would suggest that EI might be a better predictor of sales success than experience, intelligence or personality. This is not to say that these are not important but more that Emotional Intelligence should not be overlooked.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Of course you might be thinking that this is not realistic and rarely would you have a situation in place when these variables are “in sync”. In fact it might even be suggested that should this be the case then there is no need for coaching. Don’t forget coaching is not about fixing something that is broke. It’s about making a good situation even better; moving from functional to optimal. Research completed by Genos PTY supports this fact that much higher levels of employee engagement can be achieved when both an emotionally intelligent manager and motivated employee are present in the respective individuals. In turn employee engagement manifests itself in low turnover, high productivity, innovation, improved relations, etc, which are most typically the outcomes been sought through coaching support and development.

Similarly within the profession of coaching, it is probably fair to say that all good coaches demonstrate emotionally intelligent behavior; if they don’t, they should. At an intake session a considerable amount of the conversation delves into why a client is hiring a coach and what they hope to achieve, all of which speaks to their motivation.

So knowingly or otherwise, Emotional Intelligence and Motivation are clearly key ingredients for success in any effective coaching engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

According to Dr. Mahzarin Banaji of Harvard University, it turns out that however fair-minded we like to think we are, we make snap judgments about other people based on our own unconscious biases. However, though you may behave differently because of this, Dr Banaji states that “there should be no shame or guilt, just a higher responsibility” for you to take action and do something about it.

To move beyond this requires developing a very strong sense of self awareness, arguably the most fundamental element of emotionally intelligent behavior. Actively working on this allows for much more mindfulness of what your “blind spots” are. This very often happens either via people letting you know (compliment/complaint) or you asking for feedback (conversation/assessments). Understanding this better and acting appropriately can have a monumentally positive affect on how you are perceived and subsequently your overall role as a leader.

All of this is extremely beneficial in the context of workforce diversity. With so many multi cultural businesses, in addition to challenges around religion, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc, this has become a real priority for organizations as they strive to hire the best talent, ensure high levels of employee engagement and ultimately bolster the bottom line.

If interested in learning more about Dr Banaji’s study, visit the following website. It has a variety of tests which help, by virtue of word/picture association and how quickly you answer, to determine what your real bias is. Try it out and you maybe surprised!

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Once these surveys are undertaken and organizations wish to elevate their engagement score, three areas where significant developmental opportunities exist are:

Emotionally Intelligent Leaders

Do qualities such as being responsive, empowering, resilient, expansive, empathetic, authentic and present best describe people worth following? Emotionally intelligent leaders clearly understand that their approach is less about them and more about, through these qualities, supporting and coaching the people who make it happen. This very much compares to what Jim Collins in “Good to Great” described as Level 5 Leaders; those having Personal Humility and Professional Resolve.

Highly Motivated Employees

Employee motivation is influenced by a number of factors namely your job role, your boss, the team you associate with and the organization (and culture) you are part of. Based on these criteria, it is important to ensure that the motivational need of the individual compares favorably to what is available to them; there is a fit. By focusing on developing these areas, employees are provided with a greater sense of belonging and desire to make a more meaningful contribution.

Use of Coaching Skills

The very essence of coaching involves supporting other people’s success. The skills are rooted in connecting through listening, questioning, acknowledging and validating and genuinely supporting the other person. However there is also a clear focus on action but one that can be agreed upon, acted on and recognized when complete. Coaching is used to provide people with the resources, knowledge and skills to make positive decisions/actions that can advance the individual and their organization.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

What about the “disengaged” employee? Are they influenced solely by how their manager behaves? Don’t they have their role to play in this as well? In addressing these questions it becomes apparent that the element that speaks to this missing link is Motivation.

According to Genos International, individual motivation factors exist in four different areas:

1. Role

This covers the day to day working elements of completing tasks essential to your job, contacting customers or vendors, challenging yourself, working within the rules and regulations, etc.

2. Management

This entails coping with different styles of management from the traditional more directive style to an empowering approach and everything else in between.

3. Team

This considers qualities such as working virtually, individual contribution, degrees of collaboration, and working with very different team members.

4. Organization

This focuses on factors such as pay, benefits and culture as well as clear levels of management and degrees of responsibility.

Because employees have varying perspectives of what these four areas might mean to them, it proves that motivation is very much an individual construct. Consequently a leader exhibiting a certain style may very much work for one person but not for another. Similarly what one person finds challenging, can be quite the “job from hell” for someone else. Motivational Fit has emerged as the term for the alignment between what an individual is motivated by and their actual experience at work.

In summary, leaders demonstrating high levels of Emotionally Intelligent behavior coupled with employees Motivational Fit has become the key link to optimizing and maintaining high levels of Employee Engagement.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

They have absolute clarity on where the business is heading even if unsure how and by when they will get there. They truly believe in the vision.

2. Big picture thinkers

They focus on what’s critical and allow others to manage the detail by clearly understanding the key drivers and associated success indicators. They do not micromanage.

3. Invest in their people

They see that a primary role for them is to ensure that people are performing at an optimum level. Talent management, from recruitment to retirement, is one of their top priorities.

4. Sufficient general business knowledge

They know enough about all disciplines to execute upon the vision even though their expertise maybe in sales, operations, finance or some other discipline.

5. Possess a quiet determination

They work through adversity and understand that this is a journey, not a destination. They expect challenges along the way and work through them with great resolve.

6. Demonstrate emotionally intelligent behavior

They understand that working with people is emotional and involves doing the appropriate thing, at the appropriate time, with the appropriate people.

7. Have personal humility

They possess an uncanny ability to downplay their own contribution and are more driven by supporting other people’s growth and success. They genuinely care about others and less about their own ego.

8. Self driven towards success

They are on their own with few peers and many reports. It can be lonely but they have learned to adapt well to this environment through a personal inner drive to succeed. They are determined and self motivated.

9. Look after their personal health

In order to perform at their best, they see their physical well-being as key to their being sharp and alert. They exercise regularly.

10. Have a stable personal life

They ensure time for family because one cannot detach personal and professional life; consequently family provides a reciprocal understanding for their work commitments. They make time for both.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

What in fact has happened is that a stimulus, whether a word or action, has caused a drain in energy for many in the room and they become emotionally disconnected.  This manifests itself in a mood shift where people are no longer listening, not wanting to contribute and certainly not receptive to taking action.

When this happens how do you appropriately address?  Within the Genos Emotional Intelligence model this management of other people’s emotions can be addressed through what is known as the Distraction / Disputation Technique.  In very simple terms you first of all create a distraction which takes peoples mind off what caused the mood shift in the first place.  Once this is achieved, they become more receptive to being challenged, gaining clarification and seeking alternative ways to view things.

Think about coaching somebody or dealing with an employee who is upset.  When you notice this, you may suggest some sort of distraction technique such as, say something funny, let’s take a break or even let them vent (in coaching terms you could simply acknowledge and validate).  Then when ready soon after, within the disputation phase, deal with the issue in an open, receptive and less emotional fashion.

Do not ignore the elephant in the room;  apply this technique and see the results for yourself.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

“Leaders who demonstrate high levels of EI in the workplace drive higher levels of employee engagement as evidenced by the individual engagement levels of their direct reports.”

To those familiar with EI this comes as no surprise. But for those who may have perceived EI to this point as a “nice to have” or “soft skills” this should represent a real developmental opportunity for all levels of leadership. In this study individuals were measured in terms of their own levels of engagement in three specific facets:

• Praise the organization to others
• Perform above and beyond what is expected of them
• Persist in the face of adversity

These three dimensions have been shown to correlate directly with performance metrics such as productivity, retention, profitability and employee satisfaction to name a few. For a view of the preliminary results from this study, e-mail us.

At a time when organizations are striving to be innovative and competitive, the human asset is becoming even more critical. Couple this with the fact that people who have entered the workforce in the last 20 years are drawn to leaders who are aware, authentic, empathetic, expansive, resilient, empowering and centered/responsive. These are all the essential qualities of the emotionally intelligent leader.

If you are still in doubt, how engaged do you think you would be if your boss was disconnected, guarded, insensitive, limited, temperamental, indifferent and reactive?

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

1. Outstanding Employee Performance

Even though having a broad perspective on the various disciplines of business is critically important, demonstrating appropriate behaviors rate higher. For 99.9% of the workforce, interacting positively with other human beings can have an exponential impact on the organization. Positive working relationships, which can be achieved through the appropriate understanding of EI, support innovation, teamwork and reduced turnover among others and, generally leads to much higher levels of productivity.

2. Star Performance in Top Leaders

In order to be promoted within an organization people typically demonstrate considerable capacity in a particular discipline. However when one considers that top leaders surround themselves with people who understand and can execute tactically, the discipline’s importance can diminish considerably. The leadership role is one of getting the work done through an ability to communicate, motivate and inspire others into action. EI skills are the enablers of the behaviors and thinking necessary for top leaders to guide others on this collective path forward.

In summary, the presence of Emotional Intelligence (or not) can have the following impact leading to the following behavior and thinking:

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.

Research conducted by Genos International, the global leaders in Emotional Intelligence (EI), has shown a direct correlation between a leader’s ability to engage employees effectively and their own level of EI. Often viewed as the “soft” side of leadership, this misnomer does little justice to its importance and ultimately the opportunity that exits for organizations to allow their future leaders reach their full potential.

Emotional Intelligence has allowed us to put a name and simplicity to that skill set that is not yet taught in schools, colleges or business programs. By understanding the role of emotions in how leaders conduct themselves, you can avoid the pretense that they are not relevant in the workplace and use this knowledge to your advantage. Consequently by fully leveraging the understanding of this key leadership trait, productive employee engagement expands and business success becomes more inevitable.

©2012 New England Coaching. All Rights Reserved.