For one of Dr.
Laura Belsten's recent clients, an all too frequent inside joke was to whisper about, "the monster down the hall."
Like most inside jokes, there was a secret meaning - the boss whose office was at the end of the hall had a reputation for being rough on employees. In doing so, he often behaved unprofessionally by shouting at and demeaning his employees in front of their colleagues, increasing stress and decreasing company morale; all the while unintentionally reducing productivity and company profitability.
Stress linked to human interaction costs businesses greatly. Experts at the American Institute of Stress have found that each year in the United States, $300 billion (or $7,500 per employee) is spent on stress-related compensation claims, reduced productivity, absenteeism, health insurance costs, direct medical expenses and employee turnover.
A significant amount of workplace stress can be attributed to a lack of what is known as Emotional Intelligence, or EQ. In her 10 years of experience as an executive coach, Belsten has heard many stories about bosses and co-workers that consciously or unconsciously contribute to creating a stress-filled environment.
"Everyone knows someone who is an emotional infant," said Belsten, founder of CEO Partnership and President of the Denver Coach Federation. "Emotional infants are individuals who do not have the skills required to interact with others in a respectful and mutually beneficial manner."
Unlike IQ, which focuses on cognitive intelligence, EQ focuses on key competencies critical to leadership. These include Emotional Self-Awareness, Integrity, Initiative and Bias for Action, Resilience, Achievement Drive, Intentionality, Empathy, Organizational Awareness, Developing Others, Powerful Influence, Communication, Visionary Leadership, Catalyzing Change and Building Trust.
While employees can't always change their boss, they can learn ways to respond when faced with a difficult situation at work. Also, EQ isn't just for individuals who know they have a problem, according to Belsten. In fact, EQ is ideally suited to individuals who want to learn and grow and move to the next level in their careers and their lives.
"I find the vast majority of my executive coaching clients are high-achieving, talented, highly-intelligent individuals who know they aren't perfect and are open to new learning and growth," said Belsten. "Unfortunately, the problem folks don't recognize they have a problem, and so don't come in for coaching."
Emotional Intelligence can have a positive impact on the bottom line. According to a study from the General Accounting Office (GAO), the U.S. Air Force saved over $3 million dollars the first year they started hiring recruiters based (in part) on their Emotional Intelligence. The study found "that by using emotional intelligence as one of the factors in selecting recruiters, (the Air Force) increased their ability to predict successful recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a savings of $3 million annually."
"Think of what this could do for anyone in sales, or leaders who need to sell their ideas, and motivate, inspire and mobilize their employees in new and higher directions," said Belsten.
Given these statistics and real-world examples, it's no wonder the trend of engaging an executive coach keeps growing. As the trend continues, both coaches and their clients are hopeful the incidence of employees fearing "the monster down the hall" will keep falling.
About CEO Partnership
CEO Partnership is a Denver-based coaching firm dedicated to assisting executives and organizations to better themselves by implementing industry-leading assessment tools and techniques, conducting team building facilitation and one-on-one and group coaching, among other services. CEO Partnership's list of clients includes Qwest, HP, Compaq, Xcel Energy, Coors, Lockheed Martin, Chevron, Verizon, TMobile and HealthOne, among others. The company is led by founder Dr. Laura Belsten, who earned her Ph.D. from the University of Denver and both undergraduate and Master's degrees from the University of Colorado at Boulder. Dr. Belsten is a Master Certified Coach through the International Coach Federation; the highest certification which can be earned in the coaching profession and is also the President of the Denver Coach Federation. For more information visit www.ceopartnership.com.
About the Denver Coach Federation
The Denver Coach Federation is an organization dedicated to leading, developing and nurturing a thriving community of professional coaches who bring about the highest possibilities for humankind. The organization provides resources, tools, education and support for the professionalcoaching industryin the Denver-metro area, ensures that professional coaches adhere to the ethical guidelines and standards of the International Coach Federation, and foster growth and outreach to further the mission of professional coaches.