Improve Employee Emotional Intelligence with This 10-Minute Assessment
by Lisa Kaplin
Jun 01, 2020 | 2 minutes read
Human Resource executives often tell us their job gets particularly challenging when employees want to climb the organizational ladder yet lack some of the skills necessary to achieve their goals.
It can be difficult to give feedback related to personality characteristics, soft skills, and emotional intelligence. They aren’t easily measured and often giving clear, specific feedback in these areas can be difficult for the HR executive and confusing for the employee.
The SCOPE app and assessment, developed by iPEC, is the perfect tool to support human resources personnel in their goal of supporting employees through a growth plan. The SCOPE assessment can be used just prior to an employee taking on a task, event, or assignment. The assessment measures anabolic and catabolic energy and how that energy is influenced by a variety of factors.
Anabolic energy is growth-producing energy, demonstrated by taking responsibility for one’s thoughts, feelings and actions, compassion, creativity, and joy. Catabolic energy is a more destructive, tearing-down energy that is effective in crisis situations but not in most others.
A human resource executive can assist an employee in understanding both their motivations as well as their behaviors by having them take the SCOPE assessment just prior to taking on a task. The assessment takes about 10 minutes and the results are immediate. Those results can be used to discuss and increase an employee’s awareness of how they might be presenting themselves in a variety of situations.
The beauty of this tool is that it can be used in the moment and doesn’t require a performance appraisal or yet another meeting that may not be beneficial. Immediate results allow all involved to have a meaningful and productive discussion on how an employee can harness their energy for powerful leadership abilities.
Let’s use an example to demonstrate how the SCOPE app might be used.
A human resource executive—let’s name her Pam—has heard, several times, from an upward-seeking employee wanting to create a growth plan and come up with next steps. Pam has also been informed that although this employee is highly valued, they often utilize aggressive tactics to push their ideas through. There is concern that promoting this employee will lead to conflict with her team and peers.
Prior to a big meeting for this employee, Pam has her take the SCOPE assessment. The results show that this employee is experiencing quite a bit of catabolic energy and is feeling sensitive prior to her meeting. This is an excellent opportunity for Pam to do a bit of coaching in order to have the employee recognize her current state of mind and how her feelings may lead to a negative outcome at the meeting. With this awareness, Pam can ask the employee how she can choose both her thoughts and emotions so that she can show up to the meeting in a way that will lead to a more successful outcome.
Helping employees with their growth plan can be difficult if there are factors that may be holding them back. By utilizing SCOPE, HR professionals now have a tool to aid employees into clarity and insight, while providing an opportunity for empowered behavioral changes. By helping them become aware of their own growth opportunities and then identifying a strategic plan for their behavioral development, employees will have more job satisfaction and the likelihood of improved performance will also increase.
