Emotional Competency Development Guidelines
Self-awareness
Self-Awareness | Self-Management | Social Awareness | Relationship Management
This section provides detailed definitions of each of the 3 competencies of Social Awareness. In addition, suggested development activities, books to read, and movies to watch have been provided to aid you in your personal competency development plan.
Social Awareness Competencies
Developmental Tips
- Empathy.
- Accurately reads people's moods or nonverbal cues
- Respects and relates well to people of diverse backgrounds
- Listens attentively to others
This competency is about understanding other people. It is the ability to hear and understand accurately unspoken or partly expressed thoughts, feelings, and concerns of others. People with empathy are able to constantly pick up emotional cues. They can appreciate not only what people are saying, but also why they are saying it. This competency also includes a measure of cross-cultural sensitivity.
The person who possesses the competency Empathy
- Consider taking a course in developing listening skills.
- Pay attention to critical interactions with others. Think about these interactions in terms of the following:
- Did you listen when someone approached you to express his/her feelings? Were you too busy to listen? Did you brush the person off?
- Did you ask questions to understand the other person's point of view, both in terms of content and emotion?
- Did you adjust your style and approach to meet the needs and style of the person you were working with? Did this show in your body language or your tone of voice?
- Turn off the sound on the television and watch it to identify moods and nonverbal cues.
- Watch the movie, The Awakening, to see examples of reading and understanding nonverbal cues.
- Organizational Awareness.
- Understands the political forces at work in the organization
- Accurately reads key power relationships in groups or organizations
- Understands values and culture of groups or organizations
This is the ability to understand the "power" relationship in one's own group or organization. This includes the ability to identify the real decision makers and who can influence them. It is also about recognizing the values and cultures of organizations and how those affect the way people act and behave.
The person who possesses the competency Organizational Awareness:
- Identify key people inside and outside the organization who exert influence over policies and activities. Create an influence chart for your own organization or department and compare it to the formal organization chart.
- In discussions with others, try to get their perspective on how to get things done within the department. Try to probe the unspoken organizational constraints that may prevent certain things from happening at certain times.
- Reading: Organization, Culture and Leadership, E.H. Schein, 1997.
- Service Orientation.
- Is attuned to providing satisfaction to others
- Matches his/her services or products to meet others' needs
- Makes him-/herself available to others
This competency is driven by the desire to help or serve others in order to meet their needs. It means focusing one's efforts on others. This competency is not just about reacting to the requests of others; it's about being proactive in knowing what others' needs are before they are articulated.
The person who possesses the competency Service Orientation:
- Set a measurable goal to improve the level of service you have provided to your customers (e.g., other students, faculty, staff). Include a needs analysis, an analysis of your service, and an analysis of the concerns and needs of your customers.
- Start a reading file of articles about the needs of your customers.
- Take action to change/modify some procedure in your department that your customers have complained about.
