What Does Emotional Intelligence Have to Do With IT Services?

Continuous improvement and training are not anything new to the people at Thriveon. In our industry, you have to keep learning to keep up with all the changes that happen with technology. There were two days recently when our training wasn’t so techy, but it had everything to do with helping us be more effective at working with each other and serving clients as Catherine Rasmussen led us through an Emotional Intelligence workshop.

Progressive Staff Development

Catherine (Catie) Rasmussen is used to leading large community groups through leadership education in her role as Extension Professor for the University of Minnesota. She was conducting such a session for the New Ulm Area Chamber of Commerce when Missy Meidl, Controller at Thriveon, approached her about bringing Emotional Intelligence training to Thriveon. Given her full schedule and the size of the Thriveon group, Catie was sure that she was going to turn down Missy’s request, but she agreed to at least speak with her about it.

“When Missy and I talked, I could tell that she was a visionary and what she was telling me was so different from what I usually hear from private companies,” shared Catie. “When she explained that this would not just be for management but for everyone, I was excited. Not many businesses are that progressive in how they do their staff development.”

What is Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a person’s ability to recognize, evaluate and regulate their emotions. The study of EI isn’t anything new, but a growing body of cognitive research has elevated the importance of the role that it plays in how people succeed at work, relationships and life in general. In fact, it can be a more accurate indicator of career success than IQ alone. The best part of EI is that unlike IQ, people can nurture and develop their abilities by purposefully choosing strategies that change behaviors resulting in more successful interactions and decision making.

EQ Training for Professional and Personal Growth

Before Catie Rasmussen arrived for the Thriveon workshops, employees completed online questionnaires to get baseline information about their current Emotional Quotient (EQ). All results were confidential and while individuals shared some of their findings during group discussion, maintaining privacy was of paramount importance. Comments from staff revealed that many were both validated and surprised by the results.

Dan Messerli, Project Manager, said, “The assessment tool and training made sense to me. I scored well where I thought I had strengths. My weakness areas were a little bit of a surprise. In discussing the results with my wife, she was not surprised at all.”

Most of the organizations that Catie Rasmussen works with are using EQ to develop their leaders. In offering this training to everyone, she recognized a mindset about leadership skills at Thriveon that she wishes more organizations would emulate.

“Leading and following go hand in hand. Everyone has to lead and sometimes have to follow,” said Catie. “Your emotions have an impact whether you are leading or following.”

Creating a Workplace for Growth

Thriveon supports employees’ professional growth by bringing training to the workplace, assisting employees in attaining technical certifications, and by helping staff develop a roadmap for professional development. The owners and managers know that investing in employees makes good business sense.

“Training at Thriveon is all about bettering ourselves,” says Missy Meidl. “Whether that is technical or value based, the end result that we’re after is to be better as a company for clients and employees.”

And that's what Emotional Intelligence has to do with IT services.