| My understanding of emotional intelligence is based on | | | | achieving any practical outcomes. |
| BarOn's theory. BarOn has five meta-factors and 15 | | | | Flexibility, the capacity to be flexible and adjust to |
| factors that characterize his definition. The five | | | | change, is one of the key strategies in stress reduction. |
| meta-factors are intrapersonal, interpersonal, | | | | Flexible people are able to respond easily and quickly |
| adaptability, stress management, and general mood. | | | | to the unpredictable and the uncertain. Flexible people |
| Reality Testing, Flexibility, and Problem Solving are the | | | | adjust quickly, whether it is an adjustment to their |
| three factors in the adaptability scale. | | | | emotions, to their perspective, to their way of thinking, |
| When working with my clients, one of the most | | | | or to their behavior - they are willing and able to |
| challenging experiences that they have to confront is | | | | change. They are not rigid or rule-bound and they use |
| what I call transitioning, that is, having to move from | | | | evidence to adjust their behavior. They are valued |
| one emotional or physical state to another. This might | | | | members of a team because they enjoy different |
| mean moving from fixed rules and procedures to | | | | ideas, different methods, and complex challenges. |
| uncertainty and imprecision; or it might mean changing | | | | Obviously, they can deal well with stressful situations. |
| job responsibilities substantially; or it could mean | | | | The third factor in adaptability is problem-solving. We |
| transferring from one branch of the organization to | | | | are constantly required to solve problems in |
| another. Transition means change and change means | | | | relationships and in the workplace. How effectively we |
| stress. For some people change is stimulating and | | | | approach and solve problems is a good measure of |
| exciting; for other people change can be daunting and | | | | our ability to deal with personal stress and workplace |
| stressful. | | | | stress. Problem-solving requires flexibility, motivation to |
| Adaptability is the capacity to cope with transition and | | | | deal with the challenge, a high degree of what Bandura |
| change. This aspect of emotional-social intelligence | | | | has described as self-efficacy, the ability to evaluate |
| explains how effectively we are able to understand | | | | the viability of alternative solutions, and the |
| and manage the variability in our daily lives. We have | | | | management skills and personal discipline to implement |
| to be able to look at a problem or challenge, identify | | | | the solutions. A problem solver is a confident, mature, |
| the issues involved, pose a number of reasonably | | | | creative individual who would prefer to confront a |
| useful solutions, make judgments about the best | | | | problem rather than avoid or dismiss the problem. |
| solution, try the solution, evaluate the effectiveness of | | | | I have very little idea of how my readers are |
| that choice, and often start the process all over again. | | | | influenced or affected by my descriptions of emotional |
| People who are high on adaptability are generally | | | | intelligence. For some, the reaction might be: "He is |
| realistic, flexible, responsive to change, able to explore | | | | describing someone who is perfect - I'm just a normal |
| alternatives and pose problem solutions, and can | | | | human being. How can he expect me to be |
| engage in effective problem-solving. We are called | | | | competent in all these areas?" This would be a fair |
| upon to be adaptable everyday in our own lives, our | | | | and reasonable reaction. None of us are perfect; we |
| personal relationships, our workplace relationships, and | | | | are all a work in progress. I like this concept of a work |
| our jobs. Obviously, transition causes stress and the | | | | in progress because it means that we do have the |
| more adaptable we are the more effectively we can | | | | capacity to alter our thinking and our behavior. I believe |
| manage stress and even reduce stress. | | | | that we can be whatever we want to be. I believe |
| When we confront a challenge and stressful situation | | | | that if we want to be more adaptable, more flexible, |
| we engage in what is called reality testing. We assess | | | | and better problem solvers we can be. It is a matter of |
| the situation objectively, we try to characterize the | | | | being positive and applying ourselves energetically to |
| issues and possible solutions, and we focus on being | | | | change and improvement. People who have this view |
| pragmatic and practical. Some people under stress find | | | | of the world are able to manage stress and anxiety |
| ways of avoiding reality. They fantasize, daydream, | | | | much more effectively. As I always say, if you don't |
| pretend the issue doesn't exist, drink alcohol more | | | | want to have your life limited by personal stress and |
| often, party harder, and do everything to avoid the | | | | workplace stress you can do something about it by |
| situation. Obviously, a failure to reality test is the best | | | | changing your thinking. Good luck. |
| way of elevating your stress dramatically without | | | | |