» A few green shoots

… from emotional intelligence at work

Newsletter 48 : 19 january 2011

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Greetings
Welcome to our newsletter. You’ve received it because either you requested it (extra thanks!) or Kay or Jeremy have met you on our travels.
We offer a change from other newsletters which do demand an awful lot of reading, and hope you will find it diverting.
We aim to publish once every two weeks, but sometimes the flesh is weak even as the spirit is willing.

Quotations of the week

Ah, beware of snobbery; it is the unwelcome recognition of one’s own past failings.

Everyone wants to be Cary Grant. Even I want to be Cary Grant.

I improve on misquotation.

Cary Grant, actor, born 18 January 1904
Incidentally, the story was told that, as Cary Grant wore well for his age, there was disbelief that he was actually as old as the then Archbishop of Canterbury (who was very old). A journalist sent him a telegram: “How old Cary Grant?” to which the great actor replied, “Old Cary Grant very well. How you?” [Unsourced in Wikiquote—probably said by his agent according to Quote Unquote]

Child psychology article of the week

Why Chinese mothers are superior (maybe)

Well, we were all children once and the behaviour of everyone we work with, play with, live with was more or less determined by their upbringing. Would you have been a “better person” if you had been brought up like this, as Amy Chua describes? What about your colleagues/partner/friends/others? At this point we must draw attention to usual disclaimer (We don’t necessarily endorse the opinions of third parties, etc etc).

Instructional video of the week

(Can be viewed with no sound other than laughter)
Two ladies demonstrate the finer points of applying emotional intelligence to parking at Waitrose [a UK supermarket chain for our offshore readers] (dur: 2:40)

Silent video of the week

(doesn’t need sound)
You could try this at home with half a dozen hairdryers (Daniel Wurtzel) (dur: 2:49)

Emotional intelligence conundrum of the week

I spurned a colleague’s advances. Years later, he’s still blanking me

“Three years ago a colleague made a very polite pass at my work Christmas party. I politely declined. He took it badly, and has blanked me ever since… I’m now starting a new job in the same company and his team is moving into my team’s office. I don’t know what to do if he continues to behave like this.” Before reading Jeremy Bullmore’s comments here, what you would you advise?

Courses of the week

Using emotional intelligence for business networking (2 days)

28 January and 11 February 2011 . 16 February and 2 March 2011 . Birmingham
For business people who feel they are not getting enough from their networking activities, or who recognise they are not being effective enough. People who want to maximise the return from their investment of time and money in networking. It is also for those who are reluctant to use networking for a variety of reasons ranging from beliefs about its effectiveness to a dislike of entering a room full of people they don’t know. Delegates will learn how to be clear what their objectives are in networking and how to get business from it.

Using emotional intelligence to develop advocacy relationships in business (2 days)

31 January and 14 February 2011 . 17 February and 3 March 2011 . Birmingham
For business people who recognise that getting leads through referrals is a strong way of developing their business, but are unsure about how to go about setting up such an arrangement.
The course is particularly for those who want to build on their networking activities and move to the next step. It is also for those who are doubtful, or have been unsuccessful in this area in the past.
It teaches delegates to be clear what their objectives are in building advocacy relationships and how to get business from it.

All contributions welcome.

If you have been, thank you for reading.
Kay and Jeremy