Coaching World Issue 9: February 2014 | Page 24

ICF ADVANCE 2014 PRESENTER: Emotional Intelligence Copyright © 2013 Genos Pty Ltd Ben Palmer, Ph.D. Ben is the founder and CEO of Genos International and creator of the Genos model and measure of emotional intelligence. A widely recognized academic expert on emotional intelligence, he has an extensive publication list in the field. He has received numerous academic awards, including the 2006 Australian Institute of Learning and Development Award for an outstanding contribution to the practice of learning and development. He holds a BAppSci (Hons) and Ph.D. from Swinburne University and is a member of the Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence. He is currently lecturing at the Sydney Graduate School of Management as co-facilitator of its program on developing human capital. For more information, please email [email protected]. 24 Coaching World Cutting Through the Fluff: Hard Facts About EI and Employee Engagement For coaches who are passionate about the topic of emotional intelligence (EI) and its application, the business case for EI over the last decade has usually coalesced around one of two themes. First, there’s the body of global research that proves when higher levels of EI are present in leaders, salespeople, customer service reps or just about any role within an organization that involves interaction with other people, it results in greater individual effectiveness. Salespeople with higher levels of EI drive more sales than those with lower levels of EI; leaders with higher levels of EI are better at creating the conditions where motivation, inspiration and innovation can flourish. The research and supportive conclusions are abundant in number (for specific examples of this research, visit the EI Consortium website or the knowledge center of our website at www.genosinternational.com/emotional-intelligence). Second, and perhaps more important, is the intuitive sense of what is possible when high levels of EI are present in business. Imagine what is possible when individuals— leaders in particular—are self-aware, empathetic, authentic, expansive, resilient, empowering and centered. These seven powerful words (mapped in the above graphic) represent the being states of the emotionally intelligent leader.