DirectorsMessage021012

Feb. 7, 2012
Director's Message: The dentist is throwing a bayonet! By Kristine Hodsdon, RDH

To be precise, a bayonet forcep. Yet, I didn’t know I would have to dodge flying instruments to work in dentistry. Oh, the early days. I was naïve, and Daniel Goleman had yet to publish his blockbuster book, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.

So, how well do you manage your emotional reactions at work?

Automatic, negative responses to colleagues, patients, or events often indicate a hypersensitivity that’s referred to as “getting your buttons pushed.”

At work, these emotional reactions can limit your career advancement and cap the level of success you might achieve. Usually, these sensitivities have their origins in hurtful childhood experiences, such as repeatedly being criticized, rejected, or controlled. Because we’re all human, we sometimes take them into the workplace with us.

Answer the following set of questions, true or false, to discover how well you manage your emotional reactions at work.

  1. When anyone critiques my work — constructively or not — I tend to shut down and withdraw or feel ashamed.
  2. When someone hurts me — if they fail to acknowledge my contribution, for example — I lash out at them or blame myself.
  3. I hate it when colleagues tell me I’m “too sensitive.”
  4. When a colleague says or does something that makes me mad, it takes me a long time to let go of it. I often carry resentment.
  5. Sometimes I have no idea why I respond to coworkers the way that I do — I just can’t control myself.

If you answered true more often, you may wish to learn how to deal more effectively with your emotional responses in the workplace. Factors such as self-awareness, impulse control, persistence, zeal, self-motivations, empathy, and social deftness contribute greatly to an individuals’ success. These qualities, termed “emotional intelligence,” often determine if people excel in life, relationships, and the workplace. Your success depends on it.

If you’d like to consider this issue further, please join me on February 29, 2012, for a free webinar titled, “Emotional Dental Smarts: Add Power to Your Career.” Details are available at www.dentalinfluencers.com.

Kristine A. Hodsdon, RDH, BS
Director, RDH eVillage