Since our director Karen Hedger participated in the London Care Show Outstanding Society panel Empathy in action emotional intelligence for outstanding, the Bright selection team have been considering and focusing on the importance of EI in the recruitment of ‘Brave Leaders’.
This has included the team reviewing how and what we ask prospective candidates to understand their levels of emotional intelligence, equally the flipside being how important is emotional intelligence to care providers and how this is assessed.
In our approach to management recruitment we search and approach candidates on the basic requirements that relate to the qualification and experience, and then we get into the detail. This is the interesting part of our job where we seek to understand someone’s Emotional Intelligence and capacity to deliver in a leadership role
– Motivation for working in social care and in being in a leadership position?
– What are your key achievements and how did you do this? Who was involved?
– Level of engagement in the conversation, do they talk about the people that live in the home?
– How do they talk about leading, supporting and development of the people who work in the home?
As part of the panel we were asked to consider how important EI is within the care sector, in delivering quality care, supporting team members, and what tools and strategies can be used to develop team members.
An overriding message from the panel of providers James Rycroft (Vida Healthcare) Samantha Crawley (EQ Care Group) and from conversation with our clients, is that if an organisation focuses on, and values, ‘Emotional Intelligence and Kindness’ then you will have outstanding care, and the business will ultimately look after itself.
Interestingly there were mixed responses to whether EI can be taught or is an intrinsic quality (a bigger conversation), but there was agreement over how you can facilitate and ensure that you have emotionally intelligent people within your organisation.
Provider insight on how to develop Emotional Intelligence
Values – ensure you have clear values and that they exist at the top. These values need to focus on the ‘why we are here’ for Vida this is ‘In it together’ and for EQ Care group ‘ Heart centred care’. These are unique to your organisation and then form the basis of all company activities and processes.
Recruitment – Being clear in your job description and interview process that emotional intelligence is key in any role within the business and using language that reflects i.e. ‘people who live in the home’ versus ‘residents’. Ensure the process reflects ‘caring about people’ and how someone feels at the end of process, whether appointed to the role or not.
Behaviour and language – Behaviour and language is the indicator and measure of whether organisational values are lived, all processes and systems should have these values imbedded and then they can actively form part of any review. Whereby if you think about the environment/home that you want to create, you can then always address any behaviour that is contrary to the values.
Training – EI should be integral in all training. To know yourself, your motivations, aspirations and also your limitations are central to success in any field. Many of our clients deliver and improve emotional intelligence through other training such as diversity training, helping people to think differently and consider how would I feel? Alongside a dedicated, in setting, observation where the observer can help and support people to take time out to find a different solution to a difficult situation.
Emotional intelligence (EI) is vital to outstanding leadership and care within the social care sector. Following our involvement in the London Care Show panel, Bright Selection has added a greater emphasis on identifying and developing EI in recruitment. Sector leaders agree that when organisations value kindness and emotional intelligence through clear values, purposeful recruitment, consistent behaviours, and integrated training, then high-quality care and strong teams follow. Whether innate or developed, EI is key to effective leadership and sustainable success in care.