How to Overcome Resistance to Change

WHY CHANGE LEADERS WILL BENEFIT FROM AN EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE APPRAISAL

How an Emotional Intelligence Appraisal creates the motivation for change Resistance to change in the workplace (and in one’s personal life) is a reflex emotional response to disruption, rather than a rational response. By taking an Emotional Intelligence Appraisal, a leader will become more aware of how he or she responds to change, and will be better able to make choices when managing change. Knowledge and skills in emotional intelligence equips managers to pull together a plan to manage change effectively in their organizations. This results in leaders who communicate effectively with their employees and create motivation for change. What is emotional intelligence? An Emotional Intelligence Appraisal will identify the skills required to control and manage one’s own emotions as well as those of others. These are essential skills in the leader’s toolbox, and will increase the ability of anyone to more ably adjust to change, whether that change is professional or personal. Emotional intelligence includes:  Self-awareness: understanding how you respond to certain situations  Self-regulation: understanding that how you respond can be managed, and that the actions you take become a choice rather than a reflex  Social awareness: recognizing and understanding how others feel, what

response is likely in any given situation, and being able to empathize  Relationship management: the ability to communicate effectively with others and express emotions rationally  An emotional intelligence assessment will identify 15 competencies that support all the above skills, in much the same way as an IQ test measures intellectual intelligence. In fact, emotional intelligence is often referred to as ‘EQ’ for this reason. The ability to manage personal response to change is essential to manage resistance and lead change effectively. Fortunately, these essential leadership skills can be learned. Emotional Intelligence Appraisal as a tool to jumpstart change . Change will disrupt the status quo, requiring a move out of personal comfort zones. In the workplace, people may have been doing something a certain way for years. Changing this routine is often seen as threatening, with the reflex response being resistance to the change.

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