New Intuitive Way eNewsletter for March 30 just went out. You can read a copy at www.penneypeirce.com/newsletterarchives.htm
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
How Bad Might it Get?
Predicting the future is always iffy — we can get caught up in the drama of the negative view. But it might be a good idea to put what this man says into your "hopper" and let it mill around with your own intuition of the next 6 months, and see what you feel like doing with your money.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qDW34Fr64
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2qDW34Fr64
Reincarnation Experiment Research Project
My colleague, Paul Von Ward, has been researching reincarnation. Here is part of an update he just sent out, in case you're interested in learning more. If you haven't looked at the facial similarities between me and my 2 most recent past lives, and my sister and her recent past life, check out www.penneypeirce.com/booksRev.htm
The Reincarnation Experiment http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org is a unique, independent, and volunteer effort to focus scientific principles on the millennia-old belief in reincarnation. Several colleagues and I study areas of empirical evidence that suggest an indirect, but inherited past-life legacy shapes each person's psychophysical development. We deal with traits not explained by the parental genome and the child's learning environment.
Can human personalities actually be shaped by something beyond our direct genetic and social influences? Physics, biology, genetics, and consciousness studies are expanding our understanding of the apparent multidimensional and energetic nature of human reproduction and development. This emerging consensus suggests that a level of information (entropy) beyond the purely physical genome is involved in its expression and evolution.
I refer you to science editor Sharon Begley's Newsweek (Jan. 26, 2009) review of research that challenges the standard genetic notion of inherited characteristics. Similar studies described in The Soul Genome: Science and Reincarnation suggest that our unique physical features, knowledge, and behaviors that can be documented in the life of a person already deceased may have been transferred outside the ordinary DNA evolutionary process.
In this context, our project seeks to identify, document, and evaluate the evidence that is the basis for the almost universal belief in reincarnation. We have developed a model that accounts for several areas of verifiable matches found in the strongest cases on record.
Is Similar Facial Geometry Part of Reincarnation? Well-rounded cases of alleged past-life matches suggest that may be the case. We have used biometric techniques to compare the facial geometry between alleged past-lives and present-day subjects with a large random sample of matches. See http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org/home/facialsimilarities.html. The positive results were far beyond our expectations:
An analysis of the variances between 13 reincarnation cases and 132 random matches from the Internet was done to determine how much the statistical odds were that the close resemblances found in the cases could be attributed to chance. By conventional criteria, using a two-tailed test, the smaller variances in the reincarnation cases versus the larger variances in the random group were considered to be extremely statistically significant.
DNA and Reincarnation. Discussions with a number of medical and genetic researchers have focused on the following questions: What is the role of DNA in reincarnation? Can we separate the DNA hypothesized to be a part of the soul genome (passed from one life to another outside the parental genome) from the genes inherited from one's biological family tree?
The short answer to such questions is "We don't know." Reincarnation theory postulates that a subject would have some DNA-based features more like those of his previous incarnation (outside the family's phylogenetic tree) than the same features in his parents. We don't yet know if and how the soul genome (psychoplasm) mixes with the parental genome to result in such different effects (well documented in Ian Stevenson's and other cases.)
A concept paper was drafted to engage other researchers in the process of identifying areas of the genome that could plausibly come from past lives. (See http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org/dnareincarnation.html)
Websites: www.vonward.com & www.reincarnationexperiment.org
The Reincarnation Experiment http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org is a unique, independent, and volunteer effort to focus scientific principles on the millennia-old belief in reincarnation. Several colleagues and I study areas of empirical evidence that suggest an indirect, but inherited past-life legacy shapes each person's psychophysical development. We deal with traits not explained by the parental genome and the child's learning environment.
Can human personalities actually be shaped by something beyond our direct genetic and social influences? Physics, biology, genetics, and consciousness studies are expanding our understanding of the apparent multidimensional and energetic nature of human reproduction and development. This emerging consensus suggests that a level of information (entropy) beyond the purely physical genome is involved in its expression and evolution.
I refer you to science editor Sharon Begley's Newsweek (Jan. 26, 2009) review of research that challenges the standard genetic notion of inherited characteristics. Similar studies described in The Soul Genome: Science and Reincarnation suggest that our unique physical features, knowledge, and behaviors that can be documented in the life of a person already deceased may have been transferred outside the ordinary DNA evolutionary process.
In this context, our project seeks to identify, document, and evaluate the evidence that is the basis for the almost universal belief in reincarnation. We have developed a model that accounts for several areas of verifiable matches found in the strongest cases on record.
Is Similar Facial Geometry Part of Reincarnation? Well-rounded cases of alleged past-life matches suggest that may be the case. We have used biometric techniques to compare the facial geometry between alleged past-lives and present-day subjects with a large random sample of matches. See http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org/home/facialsimilarities.html. The positive results were far beyond our expectations:
An analysis of the variances between 13 reincarnation cases and 132 random matches from the Internet was done to determine how much the statistical odds were that the close resemblances found in the cases could be attributed to chance. By conventional criteria, using a two-tailed test, the smaller variances in the reincarnation cases versus the larger variances in the random group were considered to be extremely statistically significant.
DNA and Reincarnation. Discussions with a number of medical and genetic researchers have focused on the following questions: What is the role of DNA in reincarnation? Can we separate the DNA hypothesized to be a part of the soul genome (passed from one life to another outside the parental genome) from the genes inherited from one's biological family tree?
The short answer to such questions is "We don't know." Reincarnation theory postulates that a subject would have some DNA-based features more like those of his previous incarnation (outside the family's phylogenetic tree) than the same features in his parents. We don't yet know if and how the soul genome (psychoplasm) mixes with the parental genome to result in such different effects (well documented in Ian Stevenson's and other cases.)
A concept paper was drafted to engage other researchers in the process of identifying areas of the genome that could plausibly come from past lives. (See http://www.reincarnationexperiment.org/dnareincarnation.html)
Websites: www.vonward.com & www.reincarnationexperiment.org
Friday, March 27, 2009
Remote Viewing Conference Announcement
My colleague, Paul H. Smith, sent this announcement, which you may be interested in:
THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL REMOTE VIEWING ASSOCIATION'S
10th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE!
IRVA's 2009 10th Anniversary Remote Viewing Conference will be held in Las Vegas over the weekend of June 19-21, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, minutes from the airport and the Strip. In addition to lectures and presentations concerning the current practice of remote viewing, the program will allow attendees to assess the progress made by IRVA and the remote-viewing community as a whole over the last 10 years. Up-to-date information on the conference, including specific details concerning speakers and their presentations, may be found at http://www.irvaconference.org.
THE 2009 INTERNATIONAL REMOTE VIEWING ASSOCIATION'S
10th ANNIVERSARY CONFERENCE!
IRVA's 2009 10th Anniversary Remote Viewing Conference will be held in Las Vegas over the weekend of June 19-21, at the Green Valley Ranch Resort and Spa, minutes from the airport and the Strip. In addition to lectures and presentations concerning the current practice of remote viewing, the program will allow attendees to assess the progress made by IRVA and the remote-viewing community as a whole over the last 10 years. Up-to-date information on the conference, including specific details concerning speakers and their presentations, may be found at http://www.irvaconference.org.
Check Out My New Websites!!!
Finally!! My new websites are UP!! I'm still adding content, but you'll find my complete book tour calendar, with radio interviews posted as well, and daily oracles and a quote for the day.
penneypeirce.com
(note the odd spelling of both my names)
My old website url should still get you there: www.intuitnow.com
thefrequencybook.com
Here's a minisite devoted totally to my new book, FREQUENCY: THE POWER OF PERSONAL VIBRATION, with upcoming appearances, a full press kit, excerpts, and more.
A Few Nice Websites
Here are a couple websites you might enjoy:
• Nancy Mills' The Spirited Woman, for spiritually inclined women, and women of spirit: www.spiritedwoman.com
• Suzanne Beecher's Dear Reader, a nice clean site where you can peruse book clubs, meet authors, and scope out interesting books to read: www.DearReader.com
• Rick Nelson's Paranormal Research Forum, holds a monthly meeting in Denver, attracting over 200 people who are critical thinkers—engineers, professors, and the like—who are interested in the future of consciousness and technology, energy, and paranormal phenomena: www.paranormalresearchforum.com. Rick says the site will be adding more content soon. I will be speaking at their May 20th meeting. If you're in the Denver area, please come!!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Message about the Coming World
The Hathors, in some fairly good channeled messages via Tom Kenyon, talk about the coming world. . . I talk about the coming Intuition Age and the emerging Energy Reality in my new book, Frequency.
http://tomkenyon.com/birthing-the-new-world
http://tomkenyon.com/birthing-the-new-world
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Emotional Intelligence & Empathy: Part 3
Part 3: Learning Empathy Skills
Here are some steps to take to begin improving empathy as an effective management tool. Like all the emotional competencies, it is better to practice with an experienced coach who can monitor and give effective feedback. Reading a book and taking a class can both help to gain a greater cognitive understanding of what is involved. However, empathy skills must be learned experientially, that is, practiced in the field in real-time.
The following examples of research build a case for how emotional intelligence contributes to the bottom line in any business organization. They offer a bottom-line rationale for attention to emotional competencies, in hiring, selecting, and retaining personnel, in developing performance measurements, and in managing customer relationships.
After supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better and help employees resolve problems on their own, lost-time accidents were reduced by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from an average of 15 per year to 3 per year, and the plant exceeded productivity goals by $250,000 (Pesuric & Byham, 1996).
In another manufacturing plant where supervisors received similar training, production increased 17 percent. There was no such increase in production for a group of matched supervisors who were not trained (Porras & Anderson, 1981).
The US Air Force used the EQ-I (Emotional Quotient Inventory, Multi-Health Systems, Toronto) to select recruiters and found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher in the emotional competencies of assertiveness, empathy, happiness and emotional self-awareness. They found that by using EI to select recruiters, they increased their ability to predict successful recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a saving of $3 million annually.
An analysis of more than 300 top level executives from fifteen global companies showed that six emotional competencies distinguished star performers from average: influence, team leadership, organizational awareness, self-confidence, achievement drive, and leadership (Spencer, 1997)
Financial advisors at American Express whose managers completed the Emotional Competence training program were compared to an equal numbers whose managers had not. During the year following training, the advisors of trained managers grew their businesses by 18.1% compared to 16.2% of those whose managers were untrained.
In a large beverage firm, using standard methods to hire division presidents, 50% left within two years, mostly because of poor performance. When they started selecting based on emotional competencies such as initiative, self-confidence, and leadership, only 6% left in two years. The executives selected based on EI were far more likely to perform in the top third: 87% were in the top third. Division leaders with these competencies outperformed their targets by 15 to 20 percent. Those who lacked them under-performed by almost 20% (McClelland, 1999).
This is the final part of the article by Jim Harden of Greystone Consulting, begun a few days ago.
Here are some steps to take to begin improving empathy as an effective management tool. Like all the emotional competencies, it is better to practice with an experienced coach who can monitor and give effective feedback. Reading a book and taking a class can both help to gain a greater cognitive understanding of what is involved. However, empathy skills must be learned experientially, that is, practiced in the field in real-time.
1. Keep a log of situations in which you felt you were able to demonstrate empathy and a log in which you felt you did not. Make a note of missed opportunities to respond with empathy.The Business Case for EI
2. Become aware of incidents where there may be some underlying concerns that are not explicitly expressed by others.
3. Make a note of possible emotions or feelings that the other person may be experiencing. Keep an open mind and never assume, merely explore the possibilities.
4. Develop a list of questions to ask at your next encounter with that person. Try to make the questions open-ended, that is, questions that can’t be answered by yes or no.
5. Practice listening without interrupting. Wait until the other person is complete with their point of view before offering yours.
6. Avoid being defensive in order to create an open dialogue where possibilities can be explored freely.
7. Allow creative time for people to express opinions and ideas without judgment.
8. Practice active listening: always check out the meaning of what was said with the person speaking but AFTER they truly have finished. Paraphrasing what was said helps to clear up misconceptions and to deepen understanding.
9. Always bring focus back into the conversation. Remember that optimal effectiveness is achieved by a combination of focus and empathy. Work on achieving an effective balance of focus, goal orientation and empathic listening.
The following examples of research build a case for how emotional intelligence contributes to the bottom line in any business organization. They offer a bottom-line rationale for attention to emotional competencies, in hiring, selecting, and retaining personnel, in developing performance measurements, and in managing customer relationships.
After supervisors in a manufacturing plant received training in emotional competencies such as how to listen better and help employees resolve problems on their own, lost-time accidents were reduced by 50 percent, formal grievances were reduced from an average of 15 per year to 3 per year, and the plant exceeded productivity goals by $250,000 (Pesuric & Byham, 1996).
In another manufacturing plant where supervisors received similar training, production increased 17 percent. There was no such increase in production for a group of matched supervisors who were not trained (Porras & Anderson, 1981).
The US Air Force used the EQ-I (Emotional Quotient Inventory, Multi-Health Systems, Toronto) to select recruiters and found that the most successful recruiters scored significantly higher in the emotional competencies of assertiveness, empathy, happiness and emotional self-awareness. They found that by using EI to select recruiters, they increased their ability to predict successful recruiters by nearly three-fold. The immediate gain was a saving of $3 million annually.
An analysis of more than 300 top level executives from fifteen global companies showed that six emotional competencies distinguished star performers from average: influence, team leadership, organizational awareness, self-confidence, achievement drive, and leadership (Spencer, 1997)
Financial advisors at American Express whose managers completed the Emotional Competence training program were compared to an equal numbers whose managers had not. During the year following training, the advisors of trained managers grew their businesses by 18.1% compared to 16.2% of those whose managers were untrained.
In a large beverage firm, using standard methods to hire division presidents, 50% left within two years, mostly because of poor performance. When they started selecting based on emotional competencies such as initiative, self-confidence, and leadership, only 6% left in two years. The executives selected based on EI were far more likely to perform in the top third: 87% were in the top third. Division leaders with these competencies outperformed their targets by 15 to 20 percent. Those who lacked them under-performed by almost 20% (McClelland, 1999).
This is the final part of the article by Jim Harden of Greystone Consulting, begun a few days ago.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Emotional Intelligence & Empathy: Part 2
What is Empathy?
This is the second part of the article by Jim Harden from Greystone Consulting, begun in the previous post:
Empathy can be defined as the ability to see things from the other person’s point of view—to be able to “walk in someone else’s moccasins.” Goleman defines it as the ability to read other people. Other definitions include the concept of identifying with the other person or their situation. This implies more than a cognitive understanding, more than just remembering a similar situation that you may have gone through yourself. Empathy means that you can recall some of those same feelings based on your own memories. There is a sharing and identifying with emotional states.
What does this have to do with running a business, managing a company and dealing with bottom-line performance issues? Obviously, if managers were to take the time to listen with empathy at everything that was said, nothing would get done. Furthermore, one cannot fall prey to being swept up into every person’s story. Managers and leaders must keep the focus and guide people to goal completion.
According to Goleman, empathy represents the foundation skill for all the social competencies important for work:
1. Understanding others: sensing others’ feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns
2. Service orientation: anticipating, recognizing and meeting customers’ needs
3. Developing others: sensing others’ development needs and bolstering their abilities
4. Leveraging diversity: cultivating opportunities through diverse people
5. Political awareness: reading the political and social currents in an organization
Managers and leaders are usually high in those traits and characteristics that lead to successful goal completion, such as high achievement orientation and high focusing abilities. That’s why they get promoted to managing positions. Success depends a great deal on having focus, being able to persevere, and being able to concentrate. But focus alone can result in undesirable consequences if not counterbalanced by empathy. Focus alone will not result in the fulfillment of goals. Focus and empathy will.
Empathy skills are those that involve paying attention to other people- things like listening, attending to needs and wants of others, and building relationships. When empathy skills are high, one is more likely to inspire the troops. When a manager understands his/her people and communicates that to them, he/she is more liked and respected. And that is how practicing empathy results in better performance. When a manager is respected, the people they lead are more likely to go the extra mile. Empathy and focus need to be balanced, and when they are, managing skills are optimally effective.
Both managers and employees need empathy in order to interact well with customers, suppliers, the general public and with each other. Managers need it even more when they are assigning a task to someone who won’t like it; when offering criticism to someone who predictably will get defensive; when having to deal with someone we don’t like; when dealing with employee disputes; and when giving bad news such as telling someone that they won’t be promoted or that they’re being laid off. The first step in dealing with any negativity is to empathize. The next step is to focus back to the goals and the tasks at hand.
When someone comes to you with negative feedback, what is the first thing you think to yourself?
1. Here we go again. Another annoying complainer. This is a waste of my time.
2. I’m going to sit here and pretend to listen to this and then give them the facts on their latest performance measures.
3. Why can’t he/she pay attention to the really important issues, like getting this project completed on time?
4. Why is this an issue? I need to get more information.
5. What is this person really saying here? Or, rather, what is not being said and maybe needs to be addressed?
The first response is one in which you are focusing on yourself and your needs. Responses #2 and #3 focus on the goals and needs of the organization. All of the first three responses are lacking in empathy. Response #4 focuses on the other person. And response #5 focuses on the other person and the organization. The last response shows the most empathy because it goes beyond what is being said.
At the outset empathy involves real curiosity and a desire to know or understand. There is a genuine interest in what the person is saying and feeling. You cannot have empathy without asking questions. Some typical ones are:
1. “Can you say more about that?”
2. “Really? That’s interesting. Can you be more specific?”
3. “I wasn’t aware of that. Tell me more.”
4. “I’m curious about that…let’s discuss this in more depth.”
5. “Let me see if I understand you correctly…here is what I hear you say…”
Managers and leaders who are high in empathy skills are able to pick up emotional cues. They can appreciate not only what a person is saying, but also why they are saying it. At the highest levels, they also understand where a person’s feelings might come from.
Those that do not have empathy have a tendency to misread the other person. They do not ask questions to clarify. They do not pay attention to nonverbal cues. Those people who are analytical by nature will listen to the words, facts and figures and completely miss the real message of what is being said. If we remember that only 7% of the message is carried in the words and the rest is in the non-verbal cues, then listening to the content of what is being said may actually be misleading.
How then to learn effective empathy if you are one of those task-oriented managers who is primarily focused on achievement? The good news is that your achievement orientation and focusing abilities will help you in acquiring empathy skills. The bad news is that it may not be natural at first. Fortunately, empathy is a learned capability and like other competencies, it can be acquired.
This is the second part of the article by Jim Harden from Greystone Consulting, begun in the previous post:
Empathy can be defined as the ability to see things from the other person’s point of view—to be able to “walk in someone else’s moccasins.” Goleman defines it as the ability to read other people. Other definitions include the concept of identifying with the other person or their situation. This implies more than a cognitive understanding, more than just remembering a similar situation that you may have gone through yourself. Empathy means that you can recall some of those same feelings based on your own memories. There is a sharing and identifying with emotional states.
What does this have to do with running a business, managing a company and dealing with bottom-line performance issues? Obviously, if managers were to take the time to listen with empathy at everything that was said, nothing would get done. Furthermore, one cannot fall prey to being swept up into every person’s story. Managers and leaders must keep the focus and guide people to goal completion.
According to Goleman, empathy represents the foundation skill for all the social competencies important for work:
1. Understanding others: sensing others’ feelings and perspectives, and taking an active interest in their concerns
2. Service orientation: anticipating, recognizing and meeting customers’ needs
3. Developing others: sensing others’ development needs and bolstering their abilities
4. Leveraging diversity: cultivating opportunities through diverse people
5. Political awareness: reading the political and social currents in an organization
Managers and leaders are usually high in those traits and characteristics that lead to successful goal completion, such as high achievement orientation and high focusing abilities. That’s why they get promoted to managing positions. Success depends a great deal on having focus, being able to persevere, and being able to concentrate. But focus alone can result in undesirable consequences if not counterbalanced by empathy. Focus alone will not result in the fulfillment of goals. Focus and empathy will.
Empathy skills are those that involve paying attention to other people- things like listening, attending to needs and wants of others, and building relationships. When empathy skills are high, one is more likely to inspire the troops. When a manager understands his/her people and communicates that to them, he/she is more liked and respected. And that is how practicing empathy results in better performance. When a manager is respected, the people they lead are more likely to go the extra mile. Empathy and focus need to be balanced, and when they are, managing skills are optimally effective.
Both managers and employees need empathy in order to interact well with customers, suppliers, the general public and with each other. Managers need it even more when they are assigning a task to someone who won’t like it; when offering criticism to someone who predictably will get defensive; when having to deal with someone we don’t like; when dealing with employee disputes; and when giving bad news such as telling someone that they won’t be promoted or that they’re being laid off. The first step in dealing with any negativity is to empathize. The next step is to focus back to the goals and the tasks at hand.
When someone comes to you with negative feedback, what is the first thing you think to yourself?
1. Here we go again. Another annoying complainer. This is a waste of my time.
2. I’m going to sit here and pretend to listen to this and then give them the facts on their latest performance measures.
3. Why can’t he/she pay attention to the really important issues, like getting this project completed on time?
4. Why is this an issue? I need to get more information.
5. What is this person really saying here? Or, rather, what is not being said and maybe needs to be addressed?
The first response is one in which you are focusing on yourself and your needs. Responses #2 and #3 focus on the goals and needs of the organization. All of the first three responses are lacking in empathy. Response #4 focuses on the other person. And response #5 focuses on the other person and the organization. The last response shows the most empathy because it goes beyond what is being said.
At the outset empathy involves real curiosity and a desire to know or understand. There is a genuine interest in what the person is saying and feeling. You cannot have empathy without asking questions. Some typical ones are:
1. “Can you say more about that?”
2. “Really? That’s interesting. Can you be more specific?”
3. “I wasn’t aware of that. Tell me more.”
4. “I’m curious about that…let’s discuss this in more depth.”
5. “Let me see if I understand you correctly…here is what I hear you say…”
Managers and leaders who are high in empathy skills are able to pick up emotional cues. They can appreciate not only what a person is saying, but also why they are saying it. At the highest levels, they also understand where a person’s feelings might come from.
Those that do not have empathy have a tendency to misread the other person. They do not ask questions to clarify. They do not pay attention to nonverbal cues. Those people who are analytical by nature will listen to the words, facts and figures and completely miss the real message of what is being said. If we remember that only 7% of the message is carried in the words and the rest is in the non-verbal cues, then listening to the content of what is being said may actually be misleading.
How then to learn effective empathy if you are one of those task-oriented managers who is primarily focused on achievement? The good news is that your achievement orientation and focusing abilities will help you in acquiring empathy skills. The bad news is that it may not be natural at first. Fortunately, empathy is a learned capability and like other competencies, it can be acquired.
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Emotional Intelligence & Empathy: Part 1
This is reprinted from Greystone Consulting Group's latest newsletter, written by my friend Jim Harding, from Annapolis, MD.
Managing with Emotional Intelligence:
The Power of Empathy
The business community has embraced the concept of emotional intelligence and its importance ever since Daniel Goleman’s best-selling book, Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998). But the challenge that lies ahead is to demonstrate that such competencies can be acquired and when they are, that they significantly impact employee performance.
New studies in corporations that have adopted emotional intelligence training have shown that “EI” can be trained and it is effective. When programs are implemented there are overall improvements in productivity and profits. Furthermore, up to 90% of the difference between outstanding and average leaders is linked to emotional intelligence. “EI” is two times as important as IQ and technical expertise combined, and is four times as important in terms of overall success.
The research continues to mount as evidence of the effectiveness of EI training programs, yet many leaders in the business world continue to await further quantitative analysis. Before being able to address the emotional competencies that they know are significantly impacting their organizational efficiency, they want further proof. There continues to be reluctance to address anything “emotional” when it comes to business, even when the word “intelligence” is tacked on behind it.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your own feelings and those of others, and the ability to motivate yourself and others, as well as to manage your own emotions and those of others. Essentially, there are four competencies:
1. Understanding yourself, or self-awareness
2. Managing yourself, or self-management
3. Understanding others, or social awareness
4. Managing others, or social skills
Perhaps it would be better to simplify the concept. Emotional intelligence increases when people commit themselves to building practical competencies in the context of every day situations. Nothing can be more powerful than developing empathy skills during everyday conversations on the job.
One of the foundation skills that contributes to a manager’s or leader’s success is the skill of empathy. It starts with self-awareness, in that understanding your own emotions is essential to understanding the feelings of others. It is crucial to effective communication and to leading others. Lack of empathy is a primary cause of interpersonal difficulties that lead to poor performance, executive derailment, and problems with customer relationships.
Empathy, as a competency skill, is poorly understood by those who need it most; and, it is even more difficult to train and acquire. Most people believe you either have it or you don’t. Many hard-driving managers lack a propensity for developing empathy because they assume it’s for those they see as “touchy-feely” types. Some very intelligent leaders are walking around blindly using only their powers of reasoning and wondering why everyone doesn’t see things their way.
Research by the Center for Creative Leadership has found that the primary causes of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence, and in particular, these three primary ones:
1. Difficulty in handling change.
2. Not being able to work well as a team.
3. Poor interpersonal relations.
Without an adequate capacity to understand the other’s point of view, some managers lack sufficient flexibility for change, cannot work well with team collaboration, and cannot relate well with the very people that affect the results they are trying to achieve.
Managing with Emotional Intelligence:
The Power of Empathy
The business community has embraced the concept of emotional intelligence and its importance ever since Daniel Goleman’s best-selling book, Working with Emotional Intelligence (1998). But the challenge that lies ahead is to demonstrate that such competencies can be acquired and when they are, that they significantly impact employee performance.
New studies in corporations that have adopted emotional intelligence training have shown that “EI” can be trained and it is effective. When programs are implemented there are overall improvements in productivity and profits. Furthermore, up to 90% of the difference between outstanding and average leaders is linked to emotional intelligence. “EI” is two times as important as IQ and technical expertise combined, and is four times as important in terms of overall success.
The research continues to mount as evidence of the effectiveness of EI training programs, yet many leaders in the business world continue to await further quantitative analysis. Before being able to address the emotional competencies that they know are significantly impacting their organizational efficiency, they want further proof. There continues to be reluctance to address anything “emotional” when it comes to business, even when the word “intelligence” is tacked on behind it.
What is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is the ability to recognize your own feelings and those of others, and the ability to motivate yourself and others, as well as to manage your own emotions and those of others. Essentially, there are four competencies:
1. Understanding yourself, or self-awareness
2. Managing yourself, or self-management
3. Understanding others, or social awareness
4. Managing others, or social skills
Perhaps it would be better to simplify the concept. Emotional intelligence increases when people commit themselves to building practical competencies in the context of every day situations. Nothing can be more powerful than developing empathy skills during everyday conversations on the job.
One of the foundation skills that contributes to a manager’s or leader’s success is the skill of empathy. It starts with self-awareness, in that understanding your own emotions is essential to understanding the feelings of others. It is crucial to effective communication and to leading others. Lack of empathy is a primary cause of interpersonal difficulties that lead to poor performance, executive derailment, and problems with customer relationships.
Empathy, as a competency skill, is poorly understood by those who need it most; and, it is even more difficult to train and acquire. Most people believe you either have it or you don’t. Many hard-driving managers lack a propensity for developing empathy because they assume it’s for those they see as “touchy-feely” types. Some very intelligent leaders are walking around blindly using only their powers of reasoning and wondering why everyone doesn’t see things their way.
Research by the Center for Creative Leadership has found that the primary causes of derailment in executives involve deficits in emotional competence, and in particular, these three primary ones:
1. Difficulty in handling change.
2. Not being able to work well as a team.
3. Poor interpersonal relations.
Without an adequate capacity to understand the other’s point of view, some managers lack sufficient flexibility for change, cannot work well with team collaboration, and cannot relate well with the very people that affect the results they are trying to achieve.
Sixth Sense Radio Interview with Penney Peirce
I'll be on "Sixth Sense" with Laurie Nadel, on www.webtalkradio.net the week of March 23. My 20- minute interview about Frequency will play alongside one with Gregg Braden. Enjoy!!
Friday, March 13, 2009
www.thefrequencybook.com
Come browse through my new miniwebsite, just up!! Learn about my new book, FREQUENCY: The Power of Personal Vibration, at www.thefrequencybook.com
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Penney's Germany Photos
You can see my Germany in Winter photos at:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=61813&id=730037571&l=92fc4
How Women Handle Stress
UCLA STUDY ON FRIENDSHIP AMONG WOMEN
By Gale Berkowitz
A landmark UCLA study suggests friendships between women are special. They shape who we are and who we are yet to be. They soothe our tumultuous inner world, fill the emotional gaps in our marriage, and help us remember who we really are. By the way, they may do even more.
Scientists now suspect that hanging out with our friends can actually counteract the kind of stomach-quivering stress most of us experience on a daily basis. A landmark UCLA study suggests that women respond to stress with a cascade of brain chemicals that cause us to make and maintain friendships with other women. It's a stunning find that has turned five decades of stress research—most of it on men—upside down. "Until this study was published, scientists generally believed that when people experience stress, they trigger a hormonal cascade that revs the body to either stand and fight or flee as fast as possible," explains Laura Cousino Klein, Ph.D., now an Assistant Professor of Bio-behavioral Health at Penn State University and one of the study's authors. "It's an ancient survival mechanism left over from the time we were chased across the planet by saber-toothed tigers.
Now the researchers suspect that women have a larger behavioral repertoire than just "fight or flight." "In fact," says Dr. Klein, "it seems that when the hormone oxytocin is released as part of the stress responses in a woman, it buffers the "fight or flight" response and encourages her to tend children and gather with other women instead. When she actually engages in this tending or befriending, studies suggest that more oxytocin is released, which further counters stress and produces a calming effect. This calming response does not occur in men", says Dr. Klein, "because testosterone—which men produce in high levels when they're under stress—seems to reduce the effects of oxytocin. Estrogen," she adds, "seems to enhance it."
The discovery that women respond to stress differently than men was made in a classic "aha!" moment shared by two women scientists who were talking one day in a lab at UCLA. "There was this joke that when the women who worked in the lab were stressed, they came in, cleaned the lab, had coffee, and bonded," says Dr. Klein. "When the men were stressed, they holed up somewhere on their own. I commented one day to fellow researcher Shelley Taylor that nearly 90% of the stress research is on males. I showed her the data from my lab, and the two of us knew instantly that we were onto something."
The women cleared their schedules and started meeting with one scientist after another from various research specialties. Very quickly, Drs. Klein and Taylor discovered that by not including women in stress research, scientists had made a huge mistake: The fact that women respond to stress differently than men has significant implications for our health.
It may take some time for new studies to reveal all the ways that oxytocin encourages us to care for children and hang out with other women, but the "tend and befriend" notion developed by Drs. Klein and Taylor may explain why women consistently outlive men. Study after study has found that social ties reduce our risk of disease by lowering blood pressure, heart rate, and cholesterol. "There's no doubt," says Dr. Klein, "that friends are helping us live." In one study, for example, researchers found that people who had no friends increase d their risk of death over a 6-month period. In another study, those who had the most friends over a 9-year period cut their risk of death by more than 60%. Friends are also helping us live better. The famed Nurses' Health Study from Harvard Medical School found that the more friends women had, the less likely they were to develop physical impairments as they aged, and the more likely they were to be leading a joyful life. In fact, the results were so significant, the researchers concluded, that not having close friends or confidantes was as detrimental to your health as smoking or carrying extra weight!
And that's not all! When the researchers looked at how well the women functioned after the death of their spouse, they found that even in the face of this biggest stressor of all, those women who had a close friend confidante were more likely to survive the experience without any new physical impairments or permanent loss of vitality. Those without friends were not always so fortunate. Yet if friends counter the stress that seems to swallow up so much of our life these days, if they keep us healthy and even add years to our life, why is it so hard to find time to be with them? That's a question that also troubles researcher Ruthellen Josselson, Ph.D., co-author of "Best Friends: The Pleasures and Perils of Girls' and Women's Friendships (Three Rivers Press, 1998).
"Every time we get overly busy with work and family, the first thing we do is let go of friendships with other women," explains Dr. Josselson. "We push them right to the back burner. That's really a mistake because women are such a source of strength to each other. We nurture one another. And we need to have unpressured space in which we can do the special kind of talk that women do when they're with other women. It's a very healing experience."
3 Book Recommendations
An editor friend of mine recommended these books; thought I'd pass it along as they do sound interesting!
The first is a novel called The Idiots Guide to Enlightenment by Anne Cushman, a long time editor at Yoga Journal. The main character is a S. F. yoga teacher in training who writes "Idiots Guides" (like the Dummies books) to stay afloat. She gets an assignment to go to India to write a book about enlightenment. She travels around India and gets hilarious e-mails from her editor in New York ("find out what enlightened people are wearing these days...maybe we can do a tie-in with Vogue or Vanity Fair") I liked the main character so much I found myself reading more and more slowly because I didn't want it to end! It's a wonderful book.
The second book is also a novel—it's called The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. It is a fictionalized account of the so-called 19th wife of Brigham Young (she was actually the 55th!) This woman sued him for divorce and spoke out against polygamy—and was instrumental in getting polygamy outlawed. The historical story is interwoven with a modern day murder mystery that takes place in a polygamous community in Utah This is one of those rare books that transports you to another place and time. It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down.
The last book is called Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon—and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller. It's really juicy and fun.
The first is a novel called The Idiots Guide to Enlightenment by Anne Cushman, a long time editor at Yoga Journal. The main character is a S. F. yoga teacher in training who writes "Idiots Guides" (like the Dummies books) to stay afloat. She gets an assignment to go to India to write a book about enlightenment. She travels around India and gets hilarious e-mails from her editor in New York ("find out what enlightened people are wearing these days...maybe we can do a tie-in with Vogue or Vanity Fair") I liked the main character so much I found myself reading more and more slowly because I didn't want it to end! It's a wonderful book.
The second book is also a novel—it's called The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. It is a fictionalized account of the so-called 19th wife of Brigham Young (she was actually the 55th!) This woman sued him for divorce and spoke out against polygamy—and was instrumental in getting polygamy outlawed. The historical story is interwoven with a modern day murder mystery that takes place in a polygamous community in Utah This is one of those rare books that transports you to another place and time. It is beautifully written and I couldn't put it down.
The last book is called Girls Like Us: Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Carly Simon—and the Journey of a Generation by Sheila Weller. It's really juicy and fun.
Monday, March 2, 2009
FREQUENCY Book Tour Is Beginning Soon!!
My FREQUENCY Book Tour is filling in and you can keep abreast of where I'll be at booktour.com. It starts in Los Angeles at The Bodhi Tree Bookstore on Sunday, March 15. I'll be in Seattle and Portland toward the end of April, Denver in mid-May, Arizona mid-June. Please come see me!! I'd love to meet you.
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