WORKPLACE

REPORT

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

EQ-i 2.0 Model of Emotional Intelligence
SELF-PERCEPTION
Self-Regard is respecting oneself while understanding and
accepting one’s strengths and weaknesses. Self-Regard is often
associated with feelings of inner strength and self-confidence.
Self-Actualization is the willingness to persistently try to
improve oneself and engage in the pursuit of personally relevant
and meaningful objectives that lead to a rich and enjoyable life.
Emotional Self-Awareness includes recognizing and
understanding one’s own emotions. This includes the ability to
differentiate between subtleties in one’s own emotions while
understanding the cause of these emotions and the impact they
have on one’s own thoughts and actions and those of others.

STRESS MANAGEMENT SELF-EXPRESSION

Flexibility is adapting Emotional Expression
emotions, thoughts and is openly expressing
behaviors to unfamiliar, one’s feelings verbally
unpredictable, and dynamic and non-verbally.
circumstances or ideas. Assertiveness
Stress Tolerance involves communicating
involves coping with feelings, beliefs and thoughts
stressful or difficult openly, and defending
situations and believing personal rights and values
that one can manage or Emotional in a socially acceptable,
influence situations in a Intelligence non-offensive, and
positive manner. non-destructive manner.
Optimism is an indicator Independence is the ability
of one’s positive attitude to be self directed and free
and outlook on life. It involves from emotional dependency
remaining hopeful and resilient, on others. Decision-making,
despite occasional setbacks. planning, and daily tasks are
completed autonomously.

DECISION MAKING INTERPERSONAL

Problem Solving is the ability to find Interpersonal Relationships refers
solutions to problems in situations where to the skill of developing and maintaining
emotions are involved. Problem solving mutually satisfying relationships that are
includes the ability to understand characterized by trust and compassion.
how emotions impact decision making. Empathy is recognizing, understanding,
Reality Testing is the capacity to and appreciating how other people
remain objective by seeing things as feel. Empathy involves being able to
they really are. This capacity involves articulate your understanding of another’s
recognizing when emotions or personal perspective and behaving in a way that
bias can cause one to be less objective. respects others’ feelings.
Impulse Control is the ability to resist Social Responsibility is willingly
or delay an impulse, drive or temptation contributing to society, to one’s social
to act and involves avoiding rash groups, and generally to the welfare of
behaviors and decision making. others. Social Responsibility involves
acting responsibly, having social
consciousness, and showing concern
for the greater community.

Based on the Bar-On EQ-i model by Reuven Bar-On, copyright 1997.

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.
Overview of Your Results

Total EI

Self-Perception Composite

Self-Regard respecting oneself; confidence

Self-Actualization pursuit of meaning; self-improvement

Emotional Self-Awareness understanding own emotions

Self-Expression Composite

Emotional Expression constructive expression of emotions

Assertiveness communicating feelings, beliefs; non-offensive

Independence self-directed; free from emotional dependency

Interpersonal Composite

Interpersonal Relationships mutually satisfying relationships

Empathy understanding, appreciating how others feel

Social Responsibility social consciousness; helpful

Decision Making Composite

Problem Solving find solutions when emotions are involved

Reality Testing objective; see things as they really are

Impulse Control resist or delay impulse to act

Stress Management Composite

Flexibility adapting emotions, thoughts and behaviors

Stress Tolerance coping with stressful situations

Optimism positive attitude and outlook on life

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Regard
Self-Regard respecting oneself; confidence

What Your Score Means

Individuals with self-regard respect themselves and accept both personal strengths and limitations while remaining satisfied and
self-secure. Larry , your result suggests that self-regard may be an area where you would benefit from improvement. Your uncertainty
in your own abilities may translate into decreased performance and resistance to taking on greater challenges at work. You may be:
generally more conservative in your estimation of your capabilities.
unable to recognize your strengths or forgive yourself for your weaknesses.
low in self-confidence and feelings of self-adequacy.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. The emotional implications of low self-regard extend further than many people realize. Your result
suggests that you may feel inferior, less talented or less capable than your colleagues. You may also have lower motivation
to achieve your fullest potential, a less positive outlook on your strengths and weaknesses, or you may struggle to confidently
express yourself when working with others.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your internal struggle with who you are and who you hope to be is often perceived as a
lack of confidence by your colleagues. You tend to avoid interactions where you are less confident or use email to avoid face-
to-face conversations at work. When presenting yourself, you may use uncertain or wishy-washy language, a softer, shy
posture, or avoid eye contact. You may be passed over for leadership opportunities because you often hide your skills and
talents.

Strategies for Action

Self-Regard Inventory. Conduct a Self-Regard Inventory on your job performance.

List your strengths and areas for improvement. For every strength listed, ensure you are fully using each one in your
role. The more you practice using your strengths, the more you will realize your true potential and resulting confidence
in these areas.
For each improvement area, assign a strength that can be leveraged. For example, draw on your strong technical
expertise to present your opinion confidently in meetings.

See it, Think it, Do it. Low self-regard can be visible to your peers, so in addition to developing self-regard on the inside, you
also need to consider how you represent yourself to others. When you feel self-doubt creeping in:
SEE what success would look like to you (e.g., I will close this sale with only a 5% discount).
THINK about how you will achieve success; tell yourself (and others) that it is possible to reach it.
DO execute on your plan for success and present yourself accordingly (e.g., maintain eye contact and hold a confident
posture even if you are on the phone, use a steady-paced voice, ask others to hold you accountable).

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-Actualization
Self-Actualization pursuit of meaning; self-improvement

What Your Score Means

Self-actualization can be summed up in three words: pursuit of meaning. While this sounds quite philosophical, in the business world
it means finding purpose and enjoyment in your job and performing to your fullest potential. Larry , your result suggests that you are
passionate about your work and life outside of work and take pride in setting and achieving challenging goals. Although you may
believe that you can accomplish more, your result may mean that:
you place value on training and keeping your expertise sharp.
you appear to be working or acting with a plan in mind.
for the most part you believe you are leading a rich and fulfilling life.
at times you turn on autopilot mode, going through the motions of your job without truly striving to excel.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your success, happiness, and life satisfaction can probably be traced back to the fact that most of
the time you do what you enjoy. Because you have found ways to apply your talents and strengths, you likely experience
harmony knowing that your talents are being put to good use.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your consistent drive to improve yourself, while pursuing personally relevant objectives,
helps to create a fulfilling and varied life. This perpetual drive is often perceived by your colleagues as being organized,
directive, deliberate, and purposeful. In addition, self-actualized individuals value the actual process of achieving their goals
as much as or more than the final outcome. Therefore, you may find both short- and long-term planning, projecting, and
scoping activities are likely natural processes for you.

Strategies for Action

The Small Things we Enjoy. Sometimes you just need to look at your job under a microscope to develop an even deeper
passion for what you do.
Write down some of the things you do in your job that are motivating for you. No matter how small, everything makes
the list. Review this list once a week; Monday is usually a good day. Remind yourself that even the small things (like
having a client compliment you on your presentation) can push you to do your very best.

Protect Your Time. Since you already know what you re passionate about, you need to protect the time you have scheduled
for these activities so they do not fall lower on your list of priorities.
Block off time in your calendar, well in advance, for those activities you enjoy, especially if they are the vulnerable,
non work related type. Seeing an appointment in your calendar, even if it is for lunchtime yoga, will help you keep your
time commitment.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional Self-Awareness
Emotional Self-Awareness understanding own emotions

What Your Score Means

If you have a solid understanding of what causes your emotions, it is much easier to regulate your behavior and control the impact
your emotions have on those you work with. Larry , your result indicates that fully understanding your emotions and their causes may
be an area of challenge for you. It is likely that you:
are comfortable experiencing some emotions, but others make you uneasy.
superficially experience emotions, allowing them to just happen without thoughtful evaluation.
keep emotions separate from work, or fail to use them to enhance your effectiveness.
may fail to notice the impact your emotions have on others.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your experience of emotions may be very black and white: either you are angry, or you are not. As a
result, you may not recognize the complexity of your emotions or their triggers, so to others your emotions may seem
heightened or exaggerated. You may either miss emotions and their triggers entirely or are marginally aware of their
existence, making it hard to accurately predict your emotional reactions.

Social and Behavioral Implications. In social situations, your lower Emotional Self-Awareness may be noticeable in the way
you express your emotions because you may not fully understand the emotion or its impact before you express it. Under
times of stress your mood may impact your performance and that of your teammates. Also, because emotional triggers and
responses often elude you, you may find yourself in uncomfortable professional encounters, where you have understood the
tangible facts of the situation but perhaps overlooked somebody s emotional state.

Strategies for Action

Emotion Diagnosis What You Don t Recognize, You Can t Manage! Paying attention to how you are feeling may need to
start out as a manual process of diagnosing how an emotion feels.
Record the strongest emotions you experience. Note the thoughts and physical sensations that accompany them.
Then, recognizing that every heightened emotion has lighter levels , pay close attention to small shifts in this
emotion the next time it arises. When it intensifies or weakens, write down your description of this new level of
emotion and its triggers. What caused the change and what does this tell you?

Emotional Email. Reading your emails is an easy and non-obvious place to practice your Emotional Self-Awareness. Emails
usually elicit some type of emotion like frustration, surprise or happiness.
Over the next few days, record in two words what you feel (e.g., discouraged and tired ) after you read a noteworthy
email. Next to each emotion, write one physical feeling or a change in your body that you experienced with the
emotion (e.g., slack posture, big sighs ).
Notice what sensations accompany certain emotions. Research the emotions you experienced most often to find out
if there are other sensations you should be aware of.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional Expression
Emotional Expression constructive expression of emotions

What Your Score Means

Individuals who effectively express emotions use words and physical expressions to convey their feelings in a way that is not hurtful to
others. Larry , your result indicates you have difficulty bringing emotions to the surface and sharing your true feelings with coworkers.
You may appear emotionally detached from your colleagues, probably showing as little variation in your demeanor as possible.
Consider the following characteristics of your result:
certain emotions, if not most, are uncomfortable for you to express either through words, facial expressions, or body language.
you use a limited emotional vocabulary to describe your feelings (e.g., happy and sad versus elated and somber).
you assume people know how you feel so you don't display it through your words or actions.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Think of Emotional Expression as the action part of the emotional experience. You tend to bottle
emotions inside and not share them with others. This can create the illusion that you are either emotionless or that you do
not grasp the significance of the situation.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Expressing one s feelings verbally and nonverbally is key to forming effective
relationships. Your less expressive style may mean that in new environments you could struggle to engage others in a
meaningful way. People can easily misperceive you as being withdrawn and as a result it may be hard for you to inspire
others or gain the support you need. While you may feel comfortable remaining in a predictable, pokerfaced state, it is
actually stressful for others when they need to share information with you. If you do not reflect your emotions, you may miss
crucial information because others feel uncomfortable being open and honest with you.

Strategies for Action

Getting Rid of the Group Hug. At work, sharing your emotions shouldn t be a single organized event like the infamous group
hug. Think about emotions as drivers of performance, like any other resource you draw upon to get your job done.
Start small try expressing what you feel in an email. Take time to find words that really describe how you feel. Praise
a team member on his work, express your gratitude for someone s help, or voice your concern over deadlines.
Once this becomes comfortable for you, start expressing yourself where appropriate in small conversations. Draw on
the same emotional vocabulary you used in your emails.

Get it Out in Writing. If you find yourself dwelling on a particular feeling but not expressing it, begin to write an email to a
friend. You will not send this email, so don t worry about who would receive it.
Just start writing this in itself can be a healing process. Describe the details of what happened, what exactly you are
feeling and why.
Although it is in written form, you have just completed the process of emotional expression. Take one small section of
your email and appropriately talk it over with those involved. Take the email with you to refer to your notes and
emotional language.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Assertiveness
Assertiveness communicating feelings, beliefs; non-offensive

What Your Score Means

Picture a line between the words passive and aggressive. At the middle point of this line lies assertiveness, a place where you work
with others by finding the right words at the right time to express your feelings and thoughts. Larry , you have the tendency to be more
toward the passive side of this line, keeping opinions and thoughts to yourself rather than sharing them openly. Some of the following
characteristics may apply to you:
you are seen as supportive (of everything) and a team player, but at the expense of standing up for your beliefs.
you play the role of observer in meetings or discussions.
you have a lot to contribute, but feel defeated when no one hears your good ideas.
you work harder than most because you struggle to clearly articulate to others what you need.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your tendency to keep thoughts inside may lead you to feel exhausted, frustrated, or even angry that
you are on your own dealing with your unvoiced opinions. You may ruminate over bad decisions made, the crazy plan that
someone created, or that coworker who took credit for your work. It s as if all this occurred without your approval or your input,
and yet you are left wanting to say so much.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your level of assertiveness suggests that you have a tendency to act passively and have
difficulty communicating feelings, beliefs, and thoughts openly. Your lack of assertiveness may prevent you from motivating
others to achieve individual and team goals, effectively dealing with conflict, and obtaining adequate resources for effective
job performance. You could also be seen as lacking initiative, particularly if you are low in independence. Your great ideas
may stay hidden from your team and as a result you will not be as enthusiastic or committed to others ideas/directions
(because you have something better in mind).

Strategies for Action

Overcoming Fear. A common reason for overly passive behavior is the fear of losing something as result of speaking up.
Identify the last three times you were passive (meetings are great places to start). Then, brainstorm all the possible
positive and negative results that could have occurred had you been more assertive.
Most of our fear comes from an exaggeration of bad consequences. Think of situations where the good
consequences outweighed the bad. Identify when similar situations will be occurring in future. These will be relatively
safe opportunities for you to practice being more assertive.

Have a Goal in Mind. Try setting a small goal before you go into an assertive situation. When you are clear upfront on what
you want to achieve, it is easier to assert yourself.
Leverage the skills that you would normally use to get the job done (e.g., motivation, drive, technical skills, goal
setting) to set a small goal for the conversation. Tie this smaller goal to a larger performance objective so you know
something bigger is at stake. For example, I will tell my manager today that customer service errors are angering my
top customers. She won t be happy, but if I don t speak up we may lose these key accounts.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Independence
Independence self-directed; free from emotional dependency

What Your Score Means

Larry , being independent means that you are capable of feeling, thinking, and working on your own. Your results show that you are not
regularly showcasing your independence; instead, you often look to others for advice, reassurance, and direction. In your work
environment, this can be particularly obvious when you need to make decisions. Although there is nothing wrong with consultation,
regularly passing on the role of primary decision maker could be seen as emotional dependency. Consider the following
interpretation of your results:
you like guidance and direction from others on how to do your job.
you prefer to defer decision making to someone else.
you see yourself as a supportive follower, you go with the grain .

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Think of independence as the stage for showcasing your other EI abilities. If you are unable to think
or act freely, you are less likely to demonstrate to your colleagues that you have other strengths in EI. You may have many
great qualities, but others are unlikely to notice them.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your score on Independence suggests that you are susceptible to the influence of your
colleagues and superiors. Although you have a marked preference for working with others and making decisions in
collaboration with coworkers, your reliance on these people suggests that you might be resistant or uncomfortable if
required to work autonomously. In conversations or meetings, you may find yourself adopting the same emotions as others
in the room or easily conforming to others decisions. While this can give the impression of being a great team player, it is at
the expense of you putting forth your own independently generated ideas.

Strategies for Action

Stop the Self-Talk. Self-talk, that voice inside your head, can both motivate you and discourage you from being independent.
If your self-talk is filled with fear of making mistakes or thoughts of self-doubt, you will be unlikely to take independent action.
The next time you find yourself making excuses for why you shouldn't act/decide on your own, write down arguments against
each of your self-talk excuses. For example: What if I make the wrong decision? Well, I have consulted subject matter
experts and completed my own research, so I am well informed. And if it is the wrong decision, then the worst that will
happen is ____ .

Holding Yourself Accountable. When you need to make a decision, build in personal accountability by stating to others that
you will be the primary decision maker and that you are gathering input to be well informed prior to making the decision.
By simply stating up front that you are the final decision maker, you will be less likely to pass the buck to someone
else for the final decision.
You can still gather information and feedback prior to making the decision; just be aware that no one is going to give
you the answer you need to do that on your own.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Interpersonal Relationships
Interpersonal Relationships mutually satisfying relationships

What Your Score Means

Larry , this subscale is about developing and maintaining mutually satisfying relationships and your result suggests that generally you
handle most social interactions well and with confidence. Being a contributing member of a team is something you value and you
usually work toward creating relationships that support mutual goals. However, when relationships require maintenance, you may
avoid putting in the required effort, preferring to work on your own instead. Some characteristics of your result are:
you generally seek out new relationships, yet continue to take care of the ones you have.
you understand how others can help you, as well as how you can help them.
in unfamiliar or uncomfortable situations, you may be more hesitant to socialize.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. While you value the relationships you have, you could use your relationship-building skills to
connect with a more diverse group (e.g., different jobs, levels of seniority). If you only forge relationships with people you are
comfortable with, you may not receive well-balanced support, especially if your closest colleagues are similar to you and will
likely not offer a differing point of view.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your result suggests that although your relationships are not always perfect, you are
usually willing to be open, trustworthy, and compassionate. You likely have people resources in place for when you need
them, like in times of stress or when you re short on time. Although you appreciate the relationships you have, be aware that
maintaining them requires hard work and this usually isn t written in your job description. Continue to balance your job
requirements with relationship maintenance, recognizing that going outside of your job description to help someone out can
have immeasurable returns.

Strategies for Action

Step Outside Your Comfort Zone. Building resilient and trusting relationships with all types of people, whether you like
them or not, is crucial to your success.
Identify someone (colleague, manager, or customer) whose relationship with you is ineffective. Pick someone with
whom if you had a stronger relationship you would be better able to reach your objectives.
What have you done to earn this person s trust and their willingness to help you? Leverage your empathy to see
things from his/her perspective. List what you think this person needs from you.
Meet with this person to confirm your perspective. Emphasize the importance of understanding mutual needs and
arrive at an action plan to support one another.

Recognition Goes a Long Way. Remember to celebrate events that are important to your coworkers, but also express
recognition on a regular basis. Instances may include birthdays, promotions, or recognition for a job well done.
Do you know what kind of recognition your coworkers prefer? Not everyone likes Happy Birthday sung at their desk
or a reward given in front of their peers.
Leverage empathy skills to determine what type of recognition motivates and is appreciated by each of your
coworkers.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Empathy
Empathy understanding, appreciating how others feel

What Your Score Means

Empathy, the ability to recognize, understand, and appreciate the way others feel, is a crucial EI skill at the heart of all effective work
relationships. Larry , your result indicates that empathy might be difficult for you to display consistently. You may find it hard to step into
someone else s shoes, particularly when your view is radically different. While you may prefer to remain slightly detached, this may be
at the expense of creating collaborative relationships. With a result such as yours, you may find:
when you make decisions, you are more focused on facts than others feelings/reactions.
you misread others thoughts and emotions.
it is difficult for you to articulate another s perspective.
others emotions often elude you or catch you by surprise.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Underusing Empathy puts you at risk in all other interpersonal skill areas. You may be seen as
shallow if you do not genuinely relate to others feelings. Also, failing to seek out how coworkers feel about a decision means
you may miss valuable emotional data, leaving you only half prepared to make a decision with only hard facts and no
predictions for resulting emotional reactions.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Because you may have difficulty understanding how others feel, you run the risk of
damaging otherwise effective working relationships. For instance, when it comes to resolving conflict, managing change, or
making tough decisions, if you fail to take into account colleagues feelings, you leave them feeling alienated and
undervalued. Additionally, you cannot predict how others will accept change if you cannot address the emotions they are
experiencing (e.g., fear or excitement). Engaging in active listening and mirroring body language can go a long way toward
improving how you are perceived and your level of understanding for the other person s experience.

Strategies for Action

Active Listening. Active listening is about being able to repeat back, in your own words, what the speaker has said. Those
with high empathy can do this even if they do not agree with what the speaker is saying.
In general, listen more than you speak at work. Try it in your next meeting and record the approximate amount of time
you spent listening versus speaking.
When you find yourself jumping in to speak, stop, listen, and reflect back what you have heard before offering your
thoughts/opinion.

Connecting on a Personal Level. If you know colleagues on a personal level you will better understand what impacts their
emotions and be in a better position to see situations from their perspective.
With some of your lesser known colleagues, take the time to connect with them on topics outside of their field of work
(e.g., children, sports, current events, traveling).
With the next situation that calls for empathy on your part, draw upon this background information to show your
sensitivity to their needs (e.g., You must really be feeling stressed with two sick kids at home and I know your wife is
away at that conference. How can I help? ).

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Social Responsibility
Social Responsibility social consciousness; helpful

What Your Score Means

Social responsibility is that moral compass directing your behavior toward promoting the greater good and contributing to society and
one s social groups. Larry , your result suggests that you are more often self-aspiring than you are truly altruistic, often putting your
interests ahead of others . While certain situations require you to look out for number one, constantly obliging your own needs gives
the impression that you are more of an individual achiever than a team player. Based on your result, you may:
entertain more individualist views than collectivist views.
be more competitive than collaborative when working as part of a team.
see yourself as separate from most societal or organizational issues (e.g., global warming or employee morale).

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your lower Social Responsibility allows your emotions to get the better of you in two ways. First, if
you are not strongly compelled to take responsibility for others, you may harm relationships by expressing emotions you
would have otherwise controlled or dampened. Second, if you don t often help others with their struggles you won t know how
tough others have it, thus overreacting to your own struggles.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your infrequent socially responsible actions could mean you put your individual needs
and objectives ahead of your team s goals. Although there is a time and a place for making you the priority, it is important to
recognize that your colleagues may not see you as a team player or at least someone who is concerned with achieving
common goals. Losing sight of your organization s goals and broader vision may compromise your ability to effectively
contribute to the greater good.

Strategies for Action

Be a Contributing Member. Although we are often required to work in teams to accomplish organizational goals, when we
don t agree with the philosophies or procedures that are required to meet these goals we can find ourselves contributing
less than we should.
If you are lacking commitment to your team, identify needs/goals that are common to all teammates. Be creative;
come up with goals that might be supportive of, but not the same as, the overall team objective.
Determine which needs/goals you believe in, are inspired by and can contribute to. Talk to the team or a manager
about the barriers you see, but also show your willingness to contribute by bringing solutions.

Gaining a Broader Perspective. What have you done recently to help people who need a hand?
Research two ways that you could support a cause that you care about (e.g., health and wellness in the workplace,
child poverty, a political party, employee morale).
Write down what you want to learn from each experience. How will you gain a new perspective on your life? For
example, if you are struggling financially donate your time at a homeless shelter to gain a new perspective on what it
means to be without.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Problem Solving
Problem Solving find solutions when emotions are involved

What Your Score Means

Problem Solving is not about the quality of your solutions, but rather how effectively you use your emotions in the process of solving a
problem. Larry , this is an area of emotional intelligence that you currently underuse, sometimes falling victim to your emotions during
times when decisions need to be made. You may find yourself overwhelmed with the responsibility of making a decision, thus
delaying the process of arriving at a timely conclusion. Your result indicates:
you may prefer others to make decisions for you.
you may struggle to keep a clear focus on the problem at hand.
much of your time and energy is spent worrying about decisions rather than trying to solve them.
you may feel as if you have little control over the outcome of the process.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. You are likely derailed by your emotions when it comes to decision making. Rather than leveraging
the impact an emotion can have on your ability to solve a problem, you fall victim to your own emotions, such as worry,
anxiety, and fear. You may end up feeling paralyzed, exerting effort into worrying about a problem rather than generating the
most effective emotion to help you solve it.

Social and Behavioral Implications. To others, you may appear indecisive, incapable, or unsure of yourself when faced with
a problem to solve. Rather than taking action to resolve a problem as quickly as possible, your emotions may cloud your
thinking, causing you to worry, feel overwhelmed, or avoid solving the problem all together. Although you may eventually
reach sound solutions, it is difficult for people to see you in a leadership capacity where decisiveness and execution are
paramount.

Strategies for Action

Define A Problem. By keeping your focus entirely on the definition of the problem, you can eliminate the tendency to worry
about everything extraneous to the issue (e.g., the problem s history).
Write down a precise and objective definition for a problem you need to solve (i.e., just like it would appear in a
dictionary without including your subjective thoughts/language).
Keep this definition in a place where you can be reminded of it daily. Without any emotional terms, this problem is
now simply a task like any other on your to-do list and should be tackled in small steps.

Watch Your Limit! Our brains typically handle seven chunks of information, whether we are memorizing or deciding between
many options; seven seems to be the maximum amount of information we can effectively manage.
The next time you are stuck in solving a problem, ensure you are dealing with no more than seven pieces of
information (or deciding among fewer than seven choices). Too much information paralyzes you, while too little
leaves you uninformed.
Also, if your decision is stressful, your mental and emotional resources will be even fewer, so you may want to limit
yourself to three options.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Reality Testing
Reality Testing objective; see things as they really are

What Your Score Means

Call it being grounded or tuned into the situation, Reality Testing means seeing things for what they really are. In business, this
includes accurately sizing up the environment, resources, and future trends in order to set realistic plans/goals. Larry , your result
suggests that you often lose your objectivity in favor of seeing things how you wish them to be. Decisions you make and interactions
with others could all be based on unrealistic information that has been colored by your biases. Your result suggests:
you tend to view a situation from only one perspective.
you set goals and objectives that are seen as unrealistic to those you work with.
overly positive (extreme happiness) and negative emotions (high anxiety) may color the way you view a situation or make it
difficult to focus.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your ability to accurately assess another s emotional state or a situation may be skewed by your
underdeveloped Reality Testing skills. You may fall victim to gathering information that fits your preexisting assumptions,
finding evidence to support what you want to see versus what actually exists.

Social and Behavioral Implications. When your emotions or personal biases prevent you from remaining objective, you may
be compromising your credibility in the eyes of your colleagues. In business today, you must walk the fine line between
setting lofty stretch goals and realistic, achievable goals that everyone can commit to. You gravitate toward the unrealistic
side of this line and as a result pursue goals that others would consider far-fetched and misaligned with the operating
environment. In extreme cases, your perception of reality may cause impairment in work functioning as you tend to see
situations as you wish them to be rather than as they truly are.

Strategies for Action

Stop the Self-Talk. Reducing the irrational self-talk that clouds your judgment will help strengthen Reality Testing.
When you are required to make a decision, size up a situation, or give advice, go through a mental SWOT analysis as
soon as you find yourself relying on preexisting assumptions (e.g., I ve had bad experiences with consultants, so I
am sure this new consultant will be even worse. ).
Find evidence for strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities. Then ask a trusted colleague to go through the
same SWOT process to make sure that what you identified is confirmed by an outside source.

Practical Actions. Breaking a problem or decision down into small, practical steps can help you stay focused on the reality
of the situation and not what you wish would happen.
Practical actions are specific steps that need to be taken, resources that need to be gathered, or buy-in you need to
secure in order to make a decision.
Listing practical actions helps you to stay grounded under pressure by keeping your focus on specific tasks required
to reach a bias-free decision.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Impulse Control
Impulse Control resist or delay impulse to act

What Your Score Means

Impulse control involves understanding the appropriate times and ways to act on emotions and impulses, and the importance of
thinking before acting. Larry , your result shows someone who is more often impulsive and impatient than composed and controlled.
You may respond in unpredictable ways to your emotions, making your coworkers uncertain as to how you will react. Your result may
indicate a tendency to:
be very involved and talkative during meetings or conversations.
be impatient for action, antsy to move into the execution stages of projects.
be high-strung or touchy.
have an act now, think later approach to solving problems and making decisions.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your low impulse control may cause you to ignore information that is present in emotions. Your
experience of emotions is spontaneous; they appear and are gone with little warning and usually fail to appropriately direct
your behavior. For example, see your anger as just anger. You may miss the cause of your anger, your body s expression of
anger, or how others are reacting to your anger.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Over the long haul, your inability to delay temptation and avoid rash decision making
can overwhelm your colleagues. Always chasing the next great idea may lead them to believe you lack focus, discipline, and
the commitment to an established direction. On a day-to-day basis, your impulsivity may come across as interrupting others,
erratically changing priorities or timelines, winging presentations, or sidetracking conversations with unrelated topics. If
your team resists your ideas, or you regret things you have said or done, you need to find ways to be more focused and
deliberate in your job to avoid isolating yourself from others.

Strategies for Action

Five Deep Breaths. Your best weapon against impulsive behavior is to force yourself to take pause before you jump into
action.
Take five deep breaths the next time you feel yourself being impulsive or interrupting someone.
Give yourself this permission to pause. During this short 30 seconds or so, ask yourself what alternative actions you
could take.

Voice of Reason. People with low impulse control usually have one internal voice and it says go for it! You (and your
colleagues) may benefit from pausing that voice and taking time to consider reasons for staying the course.
Look at your current workload and find a task or project where it is imperative that you see it through to completion.
Anticipate points in the project plan where you may lose focus or be tempted to change priorities/processes.
For each of these instances, prepare yourself against possible impulsivity with some counter arguments: build a
case for why it is important to stay the course. These counter arguments to rash decisions become your voice of
reason; bring them to meetings when you need a reminder to first evaluate a new direction before you go for it .

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Flexibility
Flexibility adapting emotions, thoughts and behaviors

What Your Score Means

Flexibility requires that you be able to modify your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors in response to change. Larry , you appear to be
accepting of change and shifting priorities in your workplace. You embrace learning new things and remain open to others opinions
and new ways of thinking and doing things. While you likely value progress and innovation, there are some situations where you stick
to your tried and true methods, preferring predictability over spontaneity. Some indicators of your result are:
a willingness to respond to changes in the workplace (e.g., structural changes, new technology, evolving market needs).
an inclination to enjoy change and find it refreshing.
hesitation to change at times, most likely when you are under stress or feeling anxious.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Your Flexibility suggests that although you frequently adapt your thoughts, emotions, and actions,
there are still times when your emotions prevent you from accepting change. For many businesspeople, being a specialist in
one's profession is a lifetime pursuit, but keep in mind that it also creates an inherent rigidity. Your emotional attachment to
your ways can prevent you from adapting to changes in the business.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your result suggests you can tolerate change and may even thrive when change is
required. Your tolerance for change is likely welcomed by your organization and is a desirable skill in today s fast-paced and
progressive culture. You may be seen as a champion of change, promoting the benefits of adjustment, and garnering buy-in
from your peers. While there are some moments where you prefer sticking with the status quo, this is something that could
be easily improved upon in your case.

Strategies for Action

The Plastic Brain. Research suggests that our brains have a lifelong plasticity, that even in adulthood we can learn complex
things. Why then has it been so long since we attempted to learn something completely new?
The key is to move outside of your area of expertise and begin to learn something entirely new (e.g., learn a new
language, take fencing or cooking lessons, learn to grow an organic garden) and accept the arduous practice and
mistakes that come with taking on a new skill. (Remember learning how to ride a bike?)
Once you start attaching positive emotions to the small successes you experience in this new area, you will find
yourself becoming even more accepting of change in other areas of your life.

Ask for Help. When you find yourself being resistant to change, take some time out to solicit the opinions of trusted
coworkers and embrace their views on a particular problem and how they would approach it. Particularly under stress, you
may find yourself going down the same road you always travel, but if you take the time try out even one new strategy or
technique, you will broaden your skill base and enhance your ability to cope with change.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Stress Tolerance
Stress Tolerance coping with stressful situations

What Your Score Means

Stress Tolerance is the ability to cope with and respond effectively to stress and mounting pressure. Larry , your result indicates that
often your attempts to cope with stress are associated with feelings of anxiety and nervousness. Your repertoire of coping strategies
may be limited and it is likely you have difficulty choosing the appropriate strategy for the situation. Some characteristics of your result
are:
emotions may get in the way of your ability to cope with stress.
areas of EI weakness are often apparent during times of stress.
pressure or competition at work is likely to hinder your performance.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Being low in Stress Tolerance gives your emotions the opportunity to take control of you. This can
compromise your ability to think clearly and select a coping strategy in response to stress. You may not be able to manage
your emotions and use them to your advantage. For example, recognize that a positive emotion could help you brainstorm
solutions to help alleviate your stressful situation.

Social and Behavioral Implications. The way in which one copes with stress varies from person to person. Given your result,
you may display an angry or agitated disposition, and become heated or overly emotional in difficult situations. As a result,
others may see you as fragile or unable to handle tough news. How often do you think the truth is withheld from you due to
your reduced tolerance for stressful circumstances? You may also respond to stress by becoming withdrawn, showing little
energy or emotion. In either case, you run the risk of isolating yourself from the support of close relationships, further
compounding the stress in your life. Watch for a tendency to develop nervous habits, overeat or sleep excessively, isolate
yourself from others, neglect responsibilities, or use of drugs or alcohol.
Strategies for Action

Finding Control. Perceiving that you have control over a situation is one of the greatest alleviators of stress and its harmful
side effects (e.g., high blood pressure).
Coping strategies will help arm you with personal control and power over stress. Research coping strategies that you
see your peers use and keep a log of all strategies you can use to combat your next stressful situation.
Having a physical reference point, like this list of strategies, will help give you control by providing you with a choice of
coping options.

Social Buffer. Friends, family and close work peers can provide a buffer from the effects of stress on your well-being.
Reminding yourself of the social resources at your disposal can arm you with coping strategies to draw upon when stress
appears.
Take inventory of the resources (e.g., friends, colleagues) you have at your disposal and the strengths each brings to
your relationship.
Identify how each person can help you to better cope with stress. For example, while a friend may run with you to take
your mind off of a stressful day, a close colleague might be able to actually provide a solution as she knows your
workload better.

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Optimism
Optimism positive attitude and outlook on life

What Your Score Means

Optimism, the ability to remain positive despite setbacks, often differentiates between star performers and others in the workplace. It
permeates almost every application of EI, from helping you persevere to enabling you to view change as a good thing. Larry , your
result indicates that you are less optimistic than most, perhaps with a more pessimistic attitude toward work and other people. Some
characteristics of your result are:
you tend to see the world with a glass half-empty approach.
you expect and plan for the worse, feeling better when contingency plans are in place.
your goals and performance targets are likely very conservative.
you re not as hopeful about the future as most.

Impact at Work

Emotional Implications. Less optimistic people like you may place more emphasis on negative emotions than on positive
ones. This means you aren t attending to the whole spectrum of emotions you could experience when something goes
wrong. The implication is that you become more comfortable with being upset or angry at your own faults than you are with
being excited about the challenge of overcoming an obstacle.

Social and Behavioral Implications. Your less optimistic disposition may be discouraging to colleagues, especially during
times of brainstorming, creativity, and blue-ocean thinking. You may focus on the negative aspects of an idea, rather than
allowing the team to contemplate it for its merits. While your team may benefit from moments where you play the role of
devil s advocate, doing so too frequently dampens innovation and goal setting. Optimism allows you to look toward the
future, particularly when times get tough. Watch that you aren t pulling yourself and your team into the dregs of the current
situation by not communicating a compelling vision for what the future could hold.

Strategies for Action

Realistic Optimism. You are halfway to becoming an optimist; you already have a keen eye for the worst-case scenario, now
you just need to define the best-case scenario!
This can take a long time to change, but it is possible.
Every time you find yourself preparing for or fearing the worst possible outcome, write it down and put it away.
Then, write down the best, yet realistic, outcome. Plan for this instead. Talk about this as if it is the future. Seek
feedback from your colleagues about how realistic this situation is.
After all your planning is done for the best outcome, only then should you consider the worst possible scenario and
plan for it (if you even think it is still a possibility).

Vicarious Optimism. When the chips are down and things aren t going well, it is often helpful to reflect back to a time when
you have overcome a similar challenge in the past. However, there are times when our personal experiences aren t enough.
An alternative strategy is to identify with someone a friend, colleague, or even someone in the media who has faced a
similar challenge and successfully navigated their way through it. If they can do it, so can you!

Balancing Your EI

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Well-Being Indicator
Happiness satisfied with life; content

How to Use this Page

Happiness includes feelings of satisfaction, contentment Your Happiness result is shown below, linked to your results on
and the ability to enjoy the many aspects of one’s life. It is the four subscales most often associated with Happiness.
different than the other EI abilities in that Happiness both
contributes to, and is a product of, emotional intelligence. Because Happiness is so interconnected with all EI abilities,
As such, your result in Happiness is like an indicator of your you may find further development opportunities if you explore
emotional health and well-being. how the remaining subscales contribute to your level of
Happiness, and vice versa.

Happiness
Larry , your result in Happiness suggests that you may find it difficult to show enthusiasm and cheerfulness towards life in
general. Also, your lower Happiness may dampen any shining strengths you have in other EI skill areas, making it difficult for
others to see past your discontentment. Your low Happiness result is likely related to your lower Self-Regard and Optimism,
which are of particular importance in promoting feelings of happiness. You may:
experience periods of apathy or discontent.
view life as being all about work and not play.
withdraw from social situations, friends and colleagues.

Self-Regard Optimism
Happiness is a by-product of believing in oneself and living In the face of setback and disappointment, the ability to
according to your own values. Your low Self-Regard may recover and claim a happy state is contingent on one's
lead you to question your values, performance and level of optimism. Because your Optimism is low, you are
decisions, ultimately lowering your happiness. unlikely to adopt a positive outlook or view the good in your
Reflect on past accomplishments by identifying life as personal, permanent and justifiable.
skills that enabled you to be successful. Take an inventory of the good in your life. Make a list
What do you admire most about yourself? Why? of all things positive, personal, and permanent,
What do you like the least? celebrating even the smallest aspects.
Identify two strategies that can help you to better
cope with setbacks.

Interpersonal Relationships Self-Actualization

Well-developed relationships serve as a buffer from the Happiness comes from a willingness to learn and grow on
negative effects of life s daily demands. Your result a journey aligned with your values. Your result suggests a
suggests that your relationships are fulfilling for the most good level of self-actualization, but further development in
part, but there may be times when you need more this area will help to promote feelings of achievement and
encouragement and support from those around you. overall happiness.
What causes struggles in your relationships and Identify what you value most in life. Are you
what could make things better? spending enough time on the activities most
What are the most desirable attributes of the important to you?
people you spend time with? What legacy will you leave behind?

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

Action Plan
The steps you take towards achieving your EI goals will determine whether or not suc-
cess is realized. Use this step-by-step activity plan to help guide you closer to your goals. SPECIFIC
Remember to use the SMART goal setting criteria for each goal. MEASURABLE
ACTION-ORIENTED
Write down up to three EI skills or behaviors that you would like to further develop
REALISTIC
(e.g., “reflective listening” to build empathy, or “recognizing how my body reacts to
stress” to raise emotional self-awareness). The SMART goals that you outline in the TIMELY
template should help to strengthen these EI skills and behaviors.
1.
2.
3.

Write down up to three overall qualities that you would like to have (e.g., integrity, providing
clear leadership, team player, clear communicator). In some way the goals you outline in
this action plan should help you achieve the overall qualities you identified.
1.
2.
3.

Transfer your SMART goals into the action plan template below.

SMART Support and

Time Frame Benefits Measure of Success Potential Barriers
Goal Resources Needed

Listen to In team Other people will Feedback from the From the team to Time - often do not have
others meetings listen to me team to say that I am give me honest time to listen to views
Starting from I will get to hear listening to them more feedback but just need to give in-
today everyone’s views Take actions that structions. If this is the
other people have case need to tell people
suggested at the beginning of the
meeting

I commit to this action plan .

(signature)

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.

EI Development Commitment

A Development Commitment is a tool to help hold you organization’s demands win the competition for our time
accountable for accomplishing the goals outlined in and attention. By outlining your objectives here and
your action plan. As we all too often know, our plans leaving a copy with your coach you are increasingly more
for personal growth and development often fall by accountable to reach your personal goals.
the wayside when we get engrossed in work and our

My Personal Development Goals

My action plan includes the following goals: Due Date

1.

2.

3.

4.

Your Signature Your Coach’s Signature

Copyright © 2011 Multi-Health Systems Inc. All rights reserved.