EUROPE

@ W O R K

Strategies for
Implementing
Emotional
Intelligence

Joshua Freedman Maria Olsson

CEO Six Seconds Regional Network Director,
Europe, Six Seconds.
EUROPE EQ ESSENTIALS

Awareness is growing that emotional

K

intelligence, EQ, is an essential skill to

R

navigate the complexity we are facing

O

today -- and will need even more in the

W

future. According to the World Economic

@

Forum Future of Jobs report, “ emotional

intelligence will be in higher demand.”
(http://6sec.org/wef2)

How does EQ
work in the
European
context?

2
 CONTENTS
EQ Why Now?

Perspective from Italy:

The Future is Here

Case 1: Tombola (UK)

Case 2: Restaurant Sunndays (NL)

Perspective from the UK:

What’s Working?

Case 3: Amadori (IT)

Perspective from the UK:

What’s Next?

Perspective from Poland:

What’s Coming?

Perspective from Belgium:

Where’s the Balance?

Perspective from Austria:

Open or Closed?

EQ for Europe and Beyond

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4
EQ Emotional Intelligence

Why Now?
We’re living in a time of
change, and people are
feeling it.
What are the skills
we need to build our
common ground?

“EQ is bringing different

communities together to understand
difference, in what is now a very
volatile, emotional climate.”
Lara Williams, Director, Momentum4, Brighton

5
 PERSPECTIVE
FROM ITALY:
THE FUTURE IS
HERE
EQ is essential in Europe as in any other place in the world.
We are at the door of the Fourth Industrial Revolution with
the rise of an unprecedented level of technology.

Yet in the “State of the Heart” research (6sec.org/soh) we’ve

seen EQ is declining, despite the widespread theoretical
knowledge. Why? “Knowing” does not mean “mastering.”
We need to train! Training, as athletes know well, involves
fatigue, constancy and a structured program. The practice
of social-emotional skills is no exception. With this kind of
serious practice, we will be equipped to lead a process of
technological innovation that is also oriented towards a good
sustainability over time, without risking being swallowed up
by the system we are building.

Applying EQ to the organizational world means having better

people management, more effective change management
processes, experiences of real engagement and, inevitably,
higher performance. At a personal level, emotional intelligence
is the key to realize your desires and, with enthusiasm and
dedication, make the world flourish – for you and those
around you. What is the future we want? It’s here, so let’s train.

“Knowing” does not mean

“mastering.”

We need to train.

Lorenzo Fariselli, Italy Regional Network

Director, Six Seconds, Bologna

6
 By investing in people, Tombola
employees are happier
and more productive.

CASE 1: TOMBOLA (UK)

Tombola is the number one bingo site in the UK,
Spain and Italy. From its roots as a printer of paper
bingo cards, the company has a history of innova-
tion and a deep commitment to community values.
Tombola has found that by investing in people, they
are happier and more productive. So they began an
experiment to see if, even in a highly technical IT
workforce, EQ would help.
Key Strategies:
Utilise a robust, clear framework. Approach EQ in a
logical way and people are more willing to open up
about feelings.
Build vocabulary. While everybody has feelings,
many people never learned to talk about them.
Simple, clear, and hands-on tools help make it
more tangible.

Start one-to-one. Help people find new insight, help

them solve their real-world challenges, and they
become interested in learning more – and they tell
others that this “EQ stuff” is worth considering.

See 6sec.org/case/tombola

7
 CASE 2:
RESTAURANT
SUNNDAYS
(NL)
Sunndays is thriving destination located in the Centre of
Valkenburg, at the foot of a historic castle. From the start,
the owners committed to provide the best quality and
experience that exceeds the expectations of the guests.
To improve the guest experience, they focused on using
emotional intelligence to increase awareness of nonver-
bal communication (body language) and strengthen the
connections within the team. Over the course of the pro-
ject, employees and owners became more energized, cus-
tomer feedback and loyalty increased, and revenues grew
by 25%.

Key Strategies:

Focus on the experience you want to create. What is the

first impression guest should have? How will they feel?
Then you can assess: What feelings, skills and awareness
to employees need to make this happen?

Learn, practice, repeat. One key feature of this case was

small pieces of training spread over time. Once the overall
goal was clear, after each session, employees had specific
strategies to practice. This attitude of experimenting and
learning together increased energy and engagement.

Build an insightful team. Equip people with tools so they

can understand themselves and one another. This helps
solve problems more efficiently and increases acceptance
of differences.

See 6sec.org/case/sunndays

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 “EQ is essential in
Europe now to help
us cope with growing
racism, fear of diversity,
and indifference to the
problems of others.”
Ilaria Iseppato, Program Manager, Six Seconds, Bologna

9
 “EQ is the
way to enhance
understanding,
create tolerance and
openness, leverage
on strengths and
individual unique
characteristics.”
Krzysztof Lis, Managing Director and Founder,
Silver Fox Leadership, Warsaw

10
PERSPECTIVE FROM UK:
WHAT’S WORKING?

“Emotional
Intelligence is
on the tip of the
tongue for many
communities and
organisations; we
are just starting to
realise the power
of EQ to achieve
results. Whether
in education,
service industry or
manufacturing EQ,
has been proved to
make a competitive
difference.

People have demonstrated they

want change, EQ helps make it work
because it enables thinking and feeling
to make wise choices.”
Katharine Roff, SEI Program Manager, Six Seconds, Newcastle

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PERSPECTIVE
FROM UK:

WHAT’S NEXT?

“I am not sure there is one set of values/rules

that apply across Europe, As each country (and
even regions within countries) have their own
distinct ways of living that make them unique.
So to do this work well, we need to:
Understand that each country has its own
emotional norms
Learn how emotions play a part in everyday
culture in that specific country/region and
what benefits/challenges these bring
Deliver bespoke solutions for each territory’s
needs.”
Paul Cheetham, HR Manager, Tombola, Sunderland

12
CASE 3:
AMADORI (IT)
Amadori is a major supplier of McDonald’s across
Europe. To to create a learning organization where
managers act as coaches, the company created a
new performance management process along with
“The Amadori Academy” to focus on practical, re-
al-world training.
The case study measures the impact of the pro-
gram, finding 47% of the variation in managerial
performance is linked to EQ scores, and, that man-
agerial EQ has a massive impact on employee en-
gagement.
Key Strategies:
Create deep, meaningful learning that has clear
metrics. By measuring EQ and linking it to the com-
pany’s performance management systems, em-
ployee engagement, and plant performance, ROI
was clear from the start.
Begin at the top and continue. Amadori started
their EQ training with 18 senior managers, and over
four years, brought 158 more managers through
the process.
Make it a partnership. The HR Director, Pampanini,
said: “We believe that HR systems can produce val-
ue only if properly executed by the people within
the company. This is why investing in the develop-
ment of emotional intelligence for all key manag-
ers is a critical success factor.”
See 6sec.org/case/amadori
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 With all our local differences between
countries, when people often say: “it may
work that way everywhere, but in our country
it’s different.” So how can we work together?
EQ is exactly the common language, the
Esperanto, we need. While we all think we are
different, and to an extent – we are – growing
EQ is the way to enhance understanding,
create tolerance and openness, leverage
on strengths and individual unique
characteristics.

Maybe emotions are a

language of common
future. Maybe this is
how we can see and
feel ourselves as one
diverse community. It’s
something very much
needed these days.

Krzysztof Lis, Managing Director

and Founder, Silver Fox Leadership,

INSIGHTS
Warsaw

FROM POLAND:
WHAT’S COMING?
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PERSPECTIVE
FROM BELGIUM:
WHERE’S THE BALANCE?
“Europe needs to find a
balance again. We are in a
transformation process and
EQ is key to help us find
the ‘right’ answer to the
different issues we have.
We can set an example
to the world, using our
emotions and empathy to
serve common good, rather
than power for
self-interest.

Using EQ facilitates us to
align our values and guide
us towards our ultimate
goal: Europe in its diversity.
For a healthy future,
we need to make sure
our education system
generates ‘practical know
how’ AND equips people
with tools to
grow wisdom in life ”
Lieve Demol, Managing Director,
Cometra, Brussels

15
 “Sometimes I
overhear people
saying, ‘We need to
close the borders.’
This is fear speaking,
and it’s easy to
understand. Europe
PERSPECTIVE is facing a new kind
of diversity which is
FROM also creating conflict
AUSTRIA: and a larger gap
between people and
OPEN OR communities. During
challenging and
CLOSED? stressful times, our
brains naturally focus
on what’s visible. On
the urgent, short-
term facts. But the
challenges we face are
also on the emotional
side, and the solutions
are not going to come
continues on p.17

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from short term quick
fix solutions. EQ offers
three important tools:

First, EQ helps us bring

together the factual data
PLUS the emotional data
to take decisions that
are well considered.

Second, in the Six

Seconds Model, we learn
that, no matter our age
or station in life, we
can each Pursue Noble
Goals. When we do so,
we gain a long-term
perspective.

Third, EQ increases
our resilience and our
integrity – which we
urgently need in these
times of change.

In other words, EQ helps us bring together

many viewpoints. Rational & emotional. Self and
others. Short term and long term. This gives us
the clarity to solve our challenges as individuals,
in our communities, and across borders.
Maria Olsson, Regional Network Director, Europe, Six Seconds, Innsbruck
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 “EQ is like
instrumental
music.
Everyone
can feel the
music, no
need for
words.

We can learn to reach out people in their

native languages, and beyond language.

EQ is connecting people around a global set

of competencies and practices. The result
is integration, cultural understanding, and
working toward a sustainable future.”
Ilaria Boffa, Program Manager, Six Seconds, Padua
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EQ FOR EUROPE
AND BEYOND

Europe is in a time of discontinuity, which creates challenges and presents important choices about the future.
These choices have a significant emotional impact, for example: Will the region continue to “grow together as one
diverse Europe,” or “grow apart” toward isolationism?

These emotional changes are magnified, by the acceleration of change and pace of technological innovation which
is affecting the world at large. As volatility increase, it can challenge collaboration and cross-cultural connectedness.
People need more resources and support to navigate complexity.

The skills of “emotional intelligence” are already

being used effectively in Europe, and while there is
no “one size fits all” solution, EQ can be invaluable to
bridge the divides, maintain focus, and design a new
paradigm among collaborative economies.

EQ can be invaluable
to bridge the divides,
maintain focus, and
design a new paradigm
among collaborative
economies.
 Six Seconds is a community of changemakers
contributing to a world of insight, connection, and
purpose.

We think the world would be a better place if a bil-

ABOUT lion people were practicing the skills of emotional

intelligence (EQ). So, we research and share sci-

SIX SECONDS entific, global, transformational tools & methods

to support that goal. With offices and represent-
atives in 25 countries and members in 157 coun-
tries, our community extends the globe.

From schools where children love to learn, to

corporations where people thrive, to programs​
rebuilding lives, Six Seconds’ solutions are
life-changing – and empower people to take own-
ership of a positive future.

www.6seconds.org
EUROPE
@ W O R K