Why Business EQ is better than Emotional Intelligence

Over the last 20 years we have asked Coaches, Consultants, Psychologists, HR and L&D Professionals & others who have used the EBW occupational approach to Emotional Intelligence (Business EQ) about why they use it as the cornerstone of their development programmes.

Their answers provide a great explanation why focusing on EBW (Emotions and Behaviours at Work) Emotional Intelligence or ‘Business EQ’ has proved so useful.

Here is what our partners and clients have told us….

“It's not soft - it explains why people's behaviour changes and what to do about it.”

EBW Business Emotional Intelligence enables me to explain the parts that personality assessments don't.

We all know that personality or behavioural assessments explain how people typically behave but what happens when people are under load, when they are stressed or excited? Or when they are out of their comfort zone?

People's behaviour changes.

When we are out of our comfort zone, our performance increases until we reach a stage when our emotions impact negatively on our performance.

Likewise, when we feel positive, we are able to work at a higher level than when we feel negative.

What my clients like about Business EQ is that it's not “soft”. EBW is about focusing on the key emotions and behaviours that predict occupational performance.

“It is a fast and efficient way to get results.”

Using Business EQ enables me to focus on the key behaviours that make critical differences to performance and not get hung up on other issues that don't make such a significant difference. For example, over the last 10 years or so, there has been a lot of literature produced on developing resilient leaders, teams and organisations.

Certainly, being mentally tough helps leaders to succeed but it can also stop them from listening to others at critical times.

We all remember the British Petroleum executives who did not listen to the experts about the risks associated with their oil well in the Gulf of Mexico. The oil well exploded in 2009, killing 11 workers and costing an estimated £65 ($100) billion in clean-up costs.

By focusing on the critical components of Business EQ (decision making, resilience, emotional control, adaptability etc) it fast tracks the people I work with, to recognise the situations and contexts where their management reduces performance and what they can do about it.

“It is Positive & Judgement-free.”

I like that it provides a framework that quickly allows me to have deep, rich and positive conversations with my colleagues and clients.

We all hate receiving negative feedback and most of us don't like giving it either.

And when situations change or people feel they are not in control, people lose their ability to hear feedback and create positive solutions.

What I like about Business EQ, is that it's not about saying you are right or wrong. It starts from a position that anybody can develop and improve their performance.

For me, EBW Business EQ helps people envision and focus on a positive future and not a failed past.

It enables people to feel comfortable about changing what they do and how to use the different EBW tools and the strategies that enable them to do so.

“Business EQ enables me to build trust quickly.”

I find I build rapport and trust much more quickly using the EBW than I can without it.

Working with others successfully, especially when you are not based in the same office or even the same country, requires a lot of trust from all parties.

By using the EBW to focus on Business EQ, I find it resonates with leaders and teams, so barriers to trust are quickly and easily broken down.

For example, why would you not want to talk about how to make better decisions, how to empower others to take control of a decision, how to influence or what stops people following your lead...I love how EBW focuses on these areas and uses business language that resonates with leaders and budget holders.

By using EBW Business EQ I find it grants people a licence to talk about deep-rooted emotions and behaviours that other tools don't. And it provides me the means to develop more meaningful conversations about what is stopping them from performing at the highest level and becoming the person they want to be.

“Business EQ is practical and straightforward.”

Today things are different, people don't have as much time as when I started in L&D.

My colleagues and clients want straightforward insights and solutions to the ‘people problems’ they face on a daily basis. Stress, dealing with change, how to deal with difficult colleagues or customers, leading teams with more expertise than the leader has....

I am often called in to deal with a leader or a critical person in the team, who is not performing or when a team is reacting badly because the situation has changed. Suddenly the most rational of people get emotional and don't react well. Their behaviour is ‘hijacked’ by their emotions.

I find using EBW Business EQ provides a practical and straightforward way to gain insights into the emotional drivers (stress resilience, motivation to succeed etc) that affect performance and importantly, it quickly gives people the tools to manage themselves better.

“Business EQ sets a benchmark for success.”

I find working with leaders or leadership teams, you get more “buy in” when you can use international benchmarks from the EBW Comparison Groups (leaders, lawyers, etc).

Using a comparison group of international leaders enables you to compare business leaders, reliably and accurately, with their peers.

To say, "this is where you think you are, this is where you are, and this is where your peers are".

I find leaders generally like numbers and having a benchmark from the EBW allows people to set a positive behavioural goal (e.g., to move from a 6 to an 8). Plus, the great thing about the EBW, with its toolkit, is that it provides the step-change, leaders need to take to get there.

“Business EQ has a 10-step developmental framework.”

I like that the EBW Business EQ assessments have a tried and tested developmental framework and tools to help people manage change.

Because lets' be honest, changing how you work, or changing how you work with others, is not easy – successful performance growth generally means managing yourself and others, when you least want to or have the resources to do so.

For example, leaders, who may be comfortable with being the primary decision maker, still may not make the right decisions because their decision making can be affected by their passion, motivation and need for control when stressed etc.

By using the EBW step by step developmental framework it enables me to coach leaders and teams around each component of Business EQ separately, whilst still retaining the rich understanding of what the interactions between these crucial components (such as resilience, emotional control, rules etc.) mean for success.

Using Business EQ gives my clients a better understanding of what drives their performance and a straightforward developmental framework to improve performance, that they can use again and again, long after they've finished working with me.

“Business EQ is a global solution. It's cross cultural & inclusive.”

What my global clients like, is that the EBW is truly a cross cultural, inclusive solution. It works as well in India as it does in USA.

Over the years what I have found, is that many approaches to improving performance are a product of the culture where they are developed.

Rightly or wrongly, we make judgements about the behaviour we see and even more so when we are working with unfamiliar cultures.

Because it has been validated in multi-languages, the EBW provides the framework for helping people understand and address cultural and behavioural differences.

By using EBW Business EQ with my clients, it teaches them to stop making assumptions and helps them question why someone is behaving the way they are and what they can do to change it and raise their performance.

“It provides a business focus to HR with its total systems approach.”

As HR Business Partner, I find using EBW Business EQ assessments and tools, provides my clients with benchmarks and real time data for their HR processes.

Whether it be change programmes, helping managers be more inclusive, recruiting better salespeople or developing leadership potential to building high performing teams, the EBW Emotional Intelligence approach provides a common language to talk about behavioural performance.

It's focus on occupational performance, allows me and my clients to agree benchmarks, to compare and drive-up performance at all levels in your organisation, so it is possible to see how people managing themselves differently, makes a difference to the ‘bottom line’.

Discover How Business Emotional Intelligence Transforms Leaders and Teams

Find out more about how investing in Business Emotional Intelligence can make a difference in your organisation. Find out more about the Business EQ Assessment and your options for becoming certified to use our products yourself, or if you prefer find an EBW Certified Partner to help you.