Club Management - September/October 2007 - (Page 41) the top item is listed based on a ranking by averages (indicated in parentheses) of all items in that dimension. The IN dimension has eight items; the OUT dimension has seven items; and the RELATIONSHIPS dimension has five items. In other words, there are 20 total items in our three-dimension model; we are only showing the top-ranked item in each of the three dimensions. The top-ranked IN ability is “I am able to sense my own feelings.” Knowing yourself and having the ability to sense your own emotions relates to our earlier research discoveries that leadership is fi rst, foremost and always an inner quest. It is important to remain true to yourself by being in touch regularly with your feelings. Your feelings are an insight into your values and your purpose. When a COO/GM’s values are aligned with those of the club, it is easier to be effective as a leader of that club. One respondent advised, “Be true to yourself. Do not let a change in your surroundings change your own personal belief structure.” Another wrote, “Create your own identity and personality and be sure to fi nd a club that is consistent with your ideas.” The top ranked OUT capability is “I am sensitive to other people’s emotions.” How does a club leader show sensitivity? First, by listening to others and trying to connect with the other person’s feelings as they perceive them. Second, by being fair to others and treating them with respect. One respondent wrote that a leader must, “be fair to everyone, all the time: members, employees, vendors, friends.” Sensitivity also is observable when the club COO/GM understands the balance of staff member satisfaction and club member satisfaction. The top-ranked RELATIONSHIPS capability is, “People would say I am a cooperative, contributing and a positive team member.” Some staff members and volunteer leaders in a club look to the COO/GM to be the champion of cooperation through leading the way. Effective club leaders are cooperative and usually optimistic. It is through these actions TABLE 1 – IN, OUT, RELATIONSHIPS - TOP EI RESULTS Top-Ranked Item IN Ability/Capability I am able to sense my own feelings. OUT Ability/Capability I am sensitive to other people’s emotions. RELATIONSHIPS Ability/Capability People would say I am a cooperative, contributing and a positive team member. Mean 4.13 4.06 4.45 Numbers in mean column indicate means based on the scale from 1 = very seldom or not true of me; 5 = very often or true of me that they contribute to the development of others and to moving the club forward. Positive, meaningful dialogue with others allows others to see the COO/GM as someone they can rely on and trust. One participant wrote that you must “say what you mean and mean what you say. Be consistent in your habits and practices and lead by example. Never ask anyone in your organization to do something that you would not be prepared to do yourself.” Comparing High and Low EI Groups We split the respondents into two groups – high EI and low EI – based on the median (i.e., the middle value) of the total EI scores. Our goal was to then examine the social skills and stress management skills of the two groups, based on additional questions included in our survey. Social Skills The roots of emotional intelligence go back to 1920 when social intelligence was defi ned as a person’s ability to “act wisely in human relations.” Social skills, on the other hand, are related to your ability to clearly express your own ideas, opinions, and thoughts to others; sense the emo- tions and motivations of others; and your capability of having others respond in desirable and effective ways. Social skills include the skills of what and how you communicate, your sensitivity to the feelings and drivers of others; and the outcomes of the interactions. We measured participants’ social skills using five questions in our survey and discovered that there was a very high correlation between EI and social skills. Further, those in the high EI group were better at recognizing (and presumably practicing) social skills than those in the low EI group. One COO/GM advised: “Constantly work at building relationships with all levels of staff and teammates. Meaning – positive, meaningful dialogue that allows your staff to see you as someone they can rely on, but also respect as a leader/coach.” Another wrote, “Be visible and friendly to both your members and staff, and get in the trenches with your employees. You can’t manage a club from your office.” And a third perhaps summed it up best when noting that “people will often forget what you told them. They will seldom remember what you did for them, but they will always remember how you treated them. Treat people well.” SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2007 • 41
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