Understanding Self & Others (Seminar 2) Flashcards
Distinguish between the concepts of IQ and EQ, and briefly discuss the role emotional intelligence plays in building relationships and improving performance at work.
Whereas IQ is technical knowhow, EQ focuses on the personal qualities such as initiative, empathy, motivation and leadership.
If a person is ‘intellectually’ intelligent, it does not necessarily follow they are emotionally intelligent. Having a good memory, or good problem-solving abilities, does not mean a person is capable of dealing with emotions or of motivating themselves.
Emotional intelligence is the capacity for understanding our own feelings and the feelings of others, for motivating ourselves, and for managing our emotions effectively in our relationships (Goleman 1995).
At the most general level, EQ refers to the abilities to recognise and regulate emotions in ourselves and others.
Identify and briefly discuss the attributes of a person who demonstrates personal competence.
Personal competence, how we manage ourselves, is reflected in our self-awareness and self-management
• Self-Awareness – Knowing your strengths and weaknesses, as well as the ability to recognize your emotions as they happen and understand your general tendencies for responding to different people and situations
• Self-Management – Using awareness of your emotion to choose what you say and do in order to positively direct your behaviour
Identify and briefly discuss the attributes of a person who demonstrated social competence.
Social competence, how we handle relationships, is reflected in our social awareness and relationship management.
• Social Awareness / Empathy – Awareness of other’s feelings and concerns; Understanding where the other person is coming from whether you agree or not
• Relationship Management / Social Skills – Using awareness of other persons’ emotions to choose what you say and do in order to positively direct your behaviour and induce desirable outcomes, such as in communication, conflict management, cooperation, and leadership
How does self-awareness influence the way people relate to others?
Self-awareness concerns knowing one’s internal states, preferences, resources and intuitions. How people see themselves influences the way they relate to others, their capacity or readiness for self-disclosure, their ability to give and receive feedback in interpersonal relationships, their self-confidence and their level of emotional intelligence. People who display attributes of self-awareness are able to communicate, collaborate and build effective workplace relationships.
Differentiate between the two dimensions of the Social Style model, assertiveness and responsiveness. Provide examples of how you would identify clients at the extreme ends of each dimension.
“Social style” is the behaviour that one exhibits when interacting with others. The Social style model helps people to better understand and work with others through appreciation of their basic decision making and control needs.
The assertiveness dimension reflects the measure of whether a person appears to ask or tell in interactions with others.
A person with higher assertiveness are more likely to face up to difficulties rather than avoiding them. They have a higher confidence in themselves, which makes them more competitive and ready to act quickly and take risks.
A person with low assertiveness tend to avoid risks. Being slower to react to new information than the competitive high-assertive people, they tend to be more inquisitive and collaborative.
The responsiveness dimension reflects the extent to which a person reacts readily to influence or stimulation with a display of feelings.
A person with higher responsiveness has a higher emotional response to others. This may appear as empathy although it may simply be that they have less control over their own emotions and react in an emotional way. They are generally people-oriented, whether this is for purposes of company or altruism.
A person with lower responsiveness is less likely to be empathetic as there is less emotional content in their reactions. Their response has a higher cognitive element and so they think more before responding, which can make responses slower.
Outline each of the four unique behavioural patterns recognised in the social style model, and briefly describe how these traits may affect client’s engagement with the financial planning process.
Analytical (Lo A, Lo R):
• Don’t rush, don’t waste time • Answer all questions
• Give solid, tangible evidence • Do not push/hard sell
• Do not over-promise
Driver (Hi A, Lo R):
• Be fast-paced, get to the point quickly
• Start with business, give the bottom line • Use facts, not feelings
• Be clear, concise, and brief
• Don’t waste time
• Offer options with brief supporting data
Amiable (Lo A, Hi R):
• Be relaxed, moderately paced • Actively listen
• Get to know them
• Show personal interest
• Ask for their input/reaction
Expressive (Hi A, Hi R):
• Be upbeat, fast-paced, fun • Let them talk
• Allow time for socializing • Tolerate digressions
• Give them choices
• Focus on the big picture
Briefly define the term ‘style flexing’. Briefly describe why we may ‘flex’ our social style when interacting with others.
Style flexing involves taking the initiative to improve a relationship by temporarily adjusting your behaviour to manage tension and to encourage others to behave more productively with you.
When it comes to presenting your ideas, style flex entails communicating on the other person’s wavelength. Thus, style flexing is about adjusting the process of communication, not the content.
Provide a brief description of how you could ‘flex’ the financial advice process to accommodate the style preferences of each of the four unique behavioural patterns recognised in the social style model
Analytical:
• Adopt a formal, task-oriented approach to the advice process. They are
comfortable when they can operate with a high degree of objectivity.
• Progress at a deliberate pace with enough time for thoughtful consideration of the
key points.
• Provide factual, well-documented, detailed information.
Driver:
• Be task-oriented from the very start. With this style, business comes before
relationships.
• Make the most efficient use of their time.
• Offer options in a way that allows them to feel they are making the ultimate
decision.
Amiable:
• Have an open and honest approach to the advice process. They need to trust you
before they can commit.
• Spend time to develop a relationship.
• Give them personal support in terms of feelings and situation.
Expressive:
• Develop the advice relationship in an open, friendly atmosphere.
• Help them know who they’re doing business with. They appreciate dealing with
someone of competence and self-confidence
• Assure them that they can be confident in the quality of the product or services
being rendered.
