On-the-job Training for Emotional Competence

tively to the predictable—and some-

times not so predictable—challenges

faced at work. The challenges cited at

the beginning of this article—

encounters with difficult colleagues,

conflicts within a team, setbacks in

projects, downturns in the business

cycle, and the aftermath of a

merger—are prime examples of

opportunities to develop emotional

competence.

The stumbling block for most

leaders as they pursue these everyday

opportunities is that even though

they leave off-site development pro-

grams filled with excitement and

enthusiasm, they inevitably lose

momentum. Sometimes daily work

demands simply overshadow their

ability to focus on development.

Sometimes leaders don’t receive the

same level of support they experi-

enced during the program. They

don’t get ongoing feedback on their

progress or acknowledgment, let

alone reinforcement, of their small

successes. Too often, achieving day-

to-day business outcomes is viewed

as separate from or conflicting with

the development of emotional com-

petence. Shifting this mind-set is an

important first step toward sustaining

efforts to achieve these development

goals.

Part of this shift involves expand-

ing the concepts of practice, feed-

back, and support. It can be com-

pared to baseball batters who want to

hit for a high average. They’re

unlikely to achieve this goal by

swinging for the fences in every at

bat. They make the most of every

opportunity and savor even the small

successes that increase their average,

such as a bloop single. As batters

who take this approach develop into

better hitters, the home runs often

just come naturally. This is an impor-

tant analogy to consider for leaders,

who typically look to hit a home run

in every situation. In the business

world home runs are what tend to be

rewarded, whereas there is less

appreciation for smaller accomplish-

LIA •VOLUME 22, NUMBER 3 • JULY/AUGUST 2002

ments. The variety of daily interac-

tions at work—ranging from resolv-

ing business problems to coaching a

direct report to addressing an

employee performance issue—all

offer at bats and chances to improve

a leader’s emotional competence suc-

cess average.

The importance of focusing on

everyday opportunities is underscored

by the experience of a leader we’ll

call Jerry.

After attending an off-site leadership

development program, Jerry, a

midlevel manager, understood that

his behaviors were deeply ingrained

and that he would have to implement

some fundamental changes to move

out of his comfort zone. Jerry had

received strong and extensive feed-

back that he didn’t listen well and

wasn’t open to other points of view.

He learned that others saw his man-

agement style as self-absorbed,

which they attributed to extreme

competitiveness.

He learned that he lacked an

essential leadership skill: the ability

to influence others, which, first,

requires understanding others’ needs

and perspectives. To improve that

skill, Jerry needed to practice paying

attention to others’ feelings. And to

do that effectively, he needed to

understand his own emotions and

how his unhelpful expression of those

feelings was interfering with his abil-

ity to sense and respond to others.

Jerry began to appreciate how self-

awareness and self-management

were the initial keys to unlocking his

leadership potential. With prodding,

he acknowledged that each day he

had opportunities to practice influ-

encing and demonstrating empathy.

His days were filled with interactions

with bosses, peers, and direct

reports, and all these exchanges

offered opportunities to practice new

behaviors.

At the same time, Jerry was

keenly aware that he needed support

from others in the company who

6

Joe’s initial emotional reaction to

his deeper level of self-awareness was

not unusual. Achieving greater self-

awareness and experiencing the

power of empathy can be overwhelm-

ing at first. But leaders can relieve

some of the anxiety that accompanies

self-discovery by sorting out their key

strengths and a few critical areas in

which ongoing development would

best leverage their leadership.

Creating a personal learning agenda

and identifying specific development

goals can help leaders focus. In the

absence of clear personal goals and

under the press of immediate work

demands, emotional learning often

gets relegated to the back burner.

With a clearer vision in mind, Joe

was able to focus on three goals, all

of which were related to fostering his

emotional competence: being less

impatient with others, being more

demonstrative in understanding and

responding to the needs of others, and

energizing and inspiring others to see

and share his vision for the business.

All three goals went deeper than the

three developmental areas Joe had

previously identified.

OPPORTUNITIES KNOCK

Unlike learning an emerging technol-

ogy or a new financial tool, develop-

ing emotional competence requires an

ongoing investment in self-discovery

and self-exploration. Clarifying one’s

personal values, attitudes, and habits

is a prerequisite for understanding

others. Solidifying this learning

requires practicing new and unfamil-

iar behaviors over time, reflecting on

these new behaviors and their conse-

quences, and soliciting feedback and

encouragement. It’s not an easy job;

nor is it accomplished in a short

period of time.

Fortunately, leaders can make

effective use of the developmental

power of everyday opportunities.

These routine events are prime venues

for enhancing self-awareness and

refining the ability to respond effec-