Six Seconds Publishes New Research Findings from Multi-Year Study at FedEx That Links Emotional Intelligence to Increased Performance and Quality of Life

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 20, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- In a multi-year case study at FedEx Express for managers developing emotional intelligence, 72% of the program participants also made very large increases in decision making; 60% in Quality of Life, and 58% show major improvements in Influence. The "Emotional Intelligence for People-First Leadership" paper was published by Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140120/PH49015-a )
(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140120/PH49015-b )

Key findings from the study include:

• Over 59% of the variation in performance outcomes (influence, decision-making, quality of life) are predicted by increasing emotional intelligence.
• Through a blended training and coaching methodology, 44% of the participants made major increases in emotional intelligence (10-50% improvements).
• During the six-month process, new managers made major improvements on their influence, quality of life, and decision making.

In a business environment where increased efficiency is essential to economic performance, equipping managers with skills for people-management is prudent.  Jimmy Daniel, coauthor of the study, explains:  "Leadership is an influence process, and it's all about people.  If you have the emotional intelligence skills, you make the right decisions more quickly and then you get your people on board more quickly.  This results in massive improvements in efficiency."

According to the paper, emotional intelligence refers to a set of skills for understanding and using feelings effectively.  The paper describes a process of increasing self-awareness, self-management, and self-direction.  These learnable skills appear to make managers more capable of building a workplace climate, or environment, where employees are effective.  The case for emotional intelligence, according to the paper:

"The company sees that the people-side of leadership has grown more complex, and looking to the future, is committed to developing leadership capabilities to manage the changing workforce.  The goal is leaders who are better at influence, make decisions that are both quick and accurate, and are able to build a culture where people feel the dedication and drive for exceptional performance in a way that's sustainable and creates real value for all stakeholders."

As the paper concludes:

"Emotions drive people, people drive performance.

This simple formula makes sense at FedEx where there is a very strong recognition that productivity is created by people – and leaders need the skills to understand what makes people really work: Emotional intelligence."

The study was conducted by The Center For Innovative Management, a think-tank researching and sharing best-practices for the people-side of performance.  The research appeared this week on Six Seconds, The Emotional Intelligence Network: http://www.6seconds.org/?p=11162. Six Seconds is a global network supporting people to create positive change by developing emotional intelligence.

The study uses the Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment, or "SEI," a best-in-class, validated test linking emotional intelligence to performance. The tool is unusual because it provides a process framework for using emotional intelligence capabilities; it's not merely diagnostic.

The organization's vision is that by 2039, a billion people will be practicing the skills of emotional intelligence. As shown in this paper, when people practice those skills, their lives are more successful, healthier, and they make better decisions.

Six Seconds is a global not-for-profit. It is one of the first, and the largest organization dedicated to emotional intelligence. Members include authors, scientists, coaches, trainers and educators in nearly 100 countries. For information, see www.6seconds.org.

Contact: Joshua Freedman, Email, +1 831 763 1800

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SOURCE Six Seconds