Third Pillar of Emotional Intelligence: Social Awareness
By Jennifer Askey, Advisor, Leadership Development, Human Resources, Health, Safety and Environment & Adjunct Faculty, Modern Languages & Cultural Studies, University of Alberta
This is the third post in a series of informational articles on Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and how accessing and developing your EQ can help grow your career and increase your effectiveness at work and in your interpersonal relationships. The first two blog posts looked at self-awareness and self-management. This post is going to focus on social awareness.
Having a high degree of social awareness contributes to your own success and wellbeing, as well as that of those around you. For you, social awareness helps you navigate your world successfully. For example, you may be able to “read the room” and take the emotional temperature of a group interaction. For the people who work with you, your social awareness skills increase the likelihood that they will be heard and that their contributions and concerns will be noted. Being attuned to the social environment of your work and family life increases your trustworthiness and other people’s willingness to work with you.
Key competencies in social awareness are: empathy, organizational awareness and service.
These areas of our awareness are important all of the time, but take on urgency during a period of change. We need to approach ourselves and others with empathy, to be aware of the “vibe” of the organization and its members, and — above all — we need to connect with our own commitment to the overall service mission of the university.
As the Strategic Excellence Transformation moves ahead with the reorganization of several units at the university, we’d like to draw your attention to the facets of service and social responsibility involved in social awareness. EQ research shows that emotionally intelligent professionals understand that their organization is in service of something or someone and that they, themselves, are in service of their colleagues and employees. One way to remain engaged during times of change is to tap into your broader understanding of whom or what you serve at the university. This invites a return to your own self-awareness and your commitment to your values — because all of the EQ competencies are interconnected!
Do you serve students and their experience at the university? Or a discipline or research area, and its ability to teach and communicate its findings? Are you in service of amazing teaching, groundbreaking research or administrative functioning? Or does your work support the day-to-day operations of the campuses? Regardless of your job title, you can access your own sense of service by connecting your work to the greater purpose of the university.
Additionally, the service mindset of our social awareness implies a sense of social responsibility. This component of emotional intelligence involves acting in a responsible manner, even though you might not benefit personally: doing things for and with others, accepting others, acting in accordance with your conscience, and upholding social rules (Stein & Book, p. 147). In times when you feel uncertain, it can be a challenge to tap into this sense of social responsibility and service. Acknowledging that challenge and checking in with your own values and your (virtual) social environment gives you the mental time and space to access your emotional intelligence.
In The EQ Edge, Steven Stein and Howard Book write about service and social responsibility: “Being successful is not a solo activity. Real success comes from being a valued, contributing member of a social group” (Stein & Book, p. 154). As you consider your social awareness, think of how you extend a sense of belonging and contribution to your direct reports and co-workers. What actions can you take to demonstrate your commitment to the social cohesion and wellbeing of your team?
Our colleagues in Wellbeing, Culture and Rewards have created resources for some ideas on showing appreciation and recognition for your colleagues (send an eCard to someone today or nominate them for a recognition award). Subscribe to their newsletter to receive health and wellbeing opportunities and resources to your inbox. In addition, our professional development partner, Academic Impressions, has several resources in creating team engagement, ideas for building a first-class team, building shared values with your team, learning about the 10 differentiators of exceptional teams in higher education, and motivating and maintaining team morale in a remote environment. You will be required to login to your Academic Impressions account to access these resources. If you do not have an account created, you can register with your U of A email address to become a member (for free!) and access the resources.
If you’re interested in thinking more deeply about your Emotional Intelligence, Academic Impressions also has a free e-course on EQ here: https://www.academicimpressions.com/the-key-components-of-emotional-intelligence-for-academic-teams/
Stay tuned for a future post on the fourth pillar of emotional intelligence — relationship management, and for information about upcoming development opportunities related to this topic. Subscribe to our PD newsletter for more information.
Reference: Stein, S. J., & Book, H. E. (2011). The EQ edge: emotional intelligence and your success, 3rd ed. Jossey-Bass.