Emotional Intelligence:

Better Decision Making

Presented by: Mick Lavin

MBA, Dip. Executive Coaching
Emotional Intelligence

Know thyself
Socrates (ca. 400 BC)
 What is Emotional Intelligence?
• Simply: the awareness and understanding of
emotions
• How does this help us?
– Being aware of our emotional state gives us
options to consider our responses
– Understanding emotions in others helps us know
what may be happening in the other person
 What are Emotions?
• Typically they are a response to events of
concern, triggering physiological and
psychological changes in the person that
motivate behaviour.

• How are you feeling?

– Happy, Sad, Angry, Frustrated, Satisfied, Shocked,
Thoughtful, Surprised, Fearful, …
The Thinking Mind
 Triggers:
Thoughts / Feelings / Behaviours
 Emotion Trumps Judgement
• Rotman school of management research
suggests that people that are Emotionally
Intelligent are protected from biases based on
their ability to recognise where their emotions
originate – a frustrating drive to work for
example.
 Why is it important that we
understand Emotional Intelligence?
• A 2008 study published in the Journal of
Consumer Research showed that emotional
intelligence could play a role in decision-
making by helping people realize their
emotions can sway the choices they make.
 What does it all mean?
• Our emotional state plays a huge part in our
ability to make decisions
• We suffer from bias
• We have trouble making sound decisions
when stress hormones are released into our
system

• And we are never really sure the decisions we

make are good decisions?
 Understanding!
• Let’s find out a little more about how
Emotional Intelligence can help us out!
 Who defined Emotional Intelligence?
• Three main schools of thought:
– Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso: MSCEIT – ability based
model (Personality)
– Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis: (ESCI) – ability
and trait model (Personality & Cognitive)
– Reuven Bar-On: EQ-I – ability based model
(Personality)
 Goleman’s Definition
• Daniel Goleman defines EI as 12 (or 19)
competencies in four distinct areas of ability:
Self-awareness Social awareness
• Emotional self-awareness • Empathy
• Organizational awareness

Self-management Relationship management

• Emotional self-control
• Achievement orientation
• Positive outlook
• Adaptability
• Influence
• Coach and mentor
• Conflict management
• Inspirational leadership
• Teamwork
 Recognising your Mood State:
Self-awareness
• What frame of mind are you in?
– Happy?
– Sad?
– Confident?
– Confused?
– Frustrated?
– Angry?
• What bias will you bring to the negotiation?
 Managing your Mood State:
Self-management
• Am I happy, sad, anxious, angry, engaged,
disengaged, etc.?

• Self-management competencies
• Emotional self-control
• Achievement orientation
• Positive outlook
• Adaptability
 How can Emotion Intelligence
effectively assist in Decision Making?
• By helping us to better understand our
triggers and manage automatic reactions
• By enabling us to STOP and choose a
‘response’
• By helping us better assess our mood state
and recognise this in others
• By enabling us to respond to new
opportunities
• By helping us stay optimistic
 Nutrition, Mood, and Emotions
• Blood sugar levels impact your ability to
manage your mood
• Eating the right foods, in the right way, at the
right time can help us in better managing our
Emotional Intelligence
 Tips! Making Better Decisions
• Sleep
• Caffeine
• Meditate
• Reflect / Journal
• Understanding physiological/bodily signs
• Understanding Emotional states within yourself
• Understanding Emotional states within others
• Understanding your values
 Better Decisions
• We make better decisions when we act on information
from our feelings, our instincts, and our intuition, as
well as on information coming from our rational
intellect. It is our emotional brains, after all, that allows
us to access memory and assign weight or preference
to the choices we face at work and in our personal
lives. It is our Emotional Intelligence that guides us in
controlling or accessing emotions when we must adapt
to change, get along with others, or deal with stress.
Performance and leadership in any organizational
setting are both influenced by EQ
• Source: The Science Behind Emotional Intelligence, Emily A. Sterrett, Ph.D. 2014, HRD Press, Inc.