EQ ... is Patience. It's managing emotions that make you want to rush, hit, swear, and make poor decisions.

If all goes well, our emotional intelligence increases with age - up to around 50 or so. That's what the research in EQ shows. That's also what we know from looking around us, the researchers say, and the it levels off. Of course inproving in this area is optional. You can give yourself a better chance by getting some coaching.

There are some jobs that require a lot of emotional intelligence. All jobs require some; in others, managing your emotions is of the essence. Age discrimination is a legal issue and a serious one, but what I'm talking about here is the kinds of jobs that self-select by age. When I worked in the property management industry, we liked younger people to work at the apt. complexes because it required a lot of running around, but we couldn't get someone very young who could stand the heat of dealing with the public under those conditions. We hired all ages. The ones who stayed were generally in a specific age range.

Computer helpline people are under that sort of pressure. Read this and see if you could be patient and understanding with someone like this ... at the end of a long day ... after getting yelled at by your own boss ... or being fussed at by your partner because your were required to do too much overtime (this was a night call) ... and when you sat in a hot and airless cubicle and had a headache going into the call?

This is going around the Internet as humor, but it is also someone's job, and a job that requires a lot of emotional intelligence. This man or woman (we don't know which) lost it and it cost him or her her job. They weren't able to manage their growing frustration ...

THE HELPINE CALL FROM HELL

> This is a true story from the WordPerfect helpline. Needless to
> say, the help desk employee was fired; however, he/she is
> currently suing the Word Perfect organization for "Termination
> without Cause."
>
> Actual dialogue of a former WordPerfect Customer Support employee
> with a caller:
>
> Customer Support: "Ridge Hall computer assistant; may I help
> you?"
>
> Caller: "Yes, well, I'm having trouble with WordPerfect."
>
> CS: "What sort of trouble?"
>
> C: "Well, I was just typing along, and all of a sudden the words
> went away."
>
> CS: "Went away?"
>
> C: "They disappeared."
>
> CS: "Hmm. So what does your screen look like now?"
>
> C: "Nothing."
>
> CS: "Nothing?"
>
> C: "It's blank; it won't accept anything when I type."
>
> CS: "Are you still in WordPerfect, or did you get out?"
>
> C: "How do I tell?"
>
> CS: "Can you see the C: prompt on the screen?"
>
> C: "What's a sea-prompt?"
>
> CS: "Never mind. Can you move the cursor around on the screen?"
>
> C: "There isn't any cursor, I told you, it won't accept anything
> I type."
>
> CS: "Does your monitor have a power indicator?"
>
> C: "What's a monitor?"
>
> CS: "It's the thing with the screen on it that looks like a TV.
> Does it have a little light that tells you when it's on?"
>
> C: "I don't know."
>
> CS: "Well, then look on the back of the monitor and find where
> the power cord goes into it. Can you see that?"
>
> C: "Yes, I think so."
>
> CS: "Great. Follow the cord to the plug, and tell me if it's
> plugged into the wall."
>
> C: ".......Yes, it is."
>
> CS: "When you were behind the monitor, did you notice that there
> were two cables plugged into the back of it, not just one?"
>
> C: "No."
>
> CS: "Well, there are. I need you to look back there again and
> find the other cable."
>
> C: ".......Okay, here it is."
>
> CS: "Follow it for me, and tell me if it's plugged securely into
> the back of your computer."
>
> C: "I can't reach."
>
> CS: "Uh huh. Well, can you see if it is?"
>
> C: "No."
>
> CS: "Even if you maybe put your knee on something and lean way
> over?"
>
> C: "Oh, it's not because I don't have the right angle - it's
> because it's dark."
>
> CS: "Dark?"
>
> C: "Yes - the office light is off, and the only light I have is
> coming in from the window."
>
> CS: "Well, turn on the office light then."
>
> C: "I can't."
>
> CS: "No? Why not?"
>
> C: "Because there's a power outage."
>
> CS: "A power... A power outage? Ah, Okay, we've got it licked
> now. Do you still have the boxes and manuals and packing stuff
> your computer came in?"
>
> C: "Well, yes, I keep them in the closet."
>
> CS: "Good. Go get them, and unplug your system and pack it up
> just like it was when you got it. Then take it back to the store
> you bought it from."
>
> C: "Really? Is it that bad?"
>
> CS: "Yes, I'm afraid it is."
>
> C: "Well, all right then, I suppose. What do I tell them?"
>
> CS: "Tell them you're too stupid to own a computer."
>

Email for coaching - sdunn@susandunn.cc .