Tipping Points of Emotional Intelligence

A641.4.3.RB

In your reflection blog, share instances where you have experienced a tipping point at work. When you experienced the tipping point, describe how positive or negative emotional attractors played a role in it.

• What was the situation?
• What did you do?
• What was the result?
• What would you do differently?

Tipping points are important factors that affect the intentional change process as it relates to Positive Emotional Attractors (PEA) and Negative Emotional Attractors (NEA) for desired and sustained change or development. Both PEA and NEA play an important role in what Boyatzis, Rochford, and Taylor (2015) identify as distinguishing and pursuing “self” within the change process. According to Boyatzis et al (2015, p.3), “The ideal self is comprised of three main components: (1) an image of a desired future that is (2) emotionally fuelled by hope, and (3) reflects a person’s core identity.” Conversely, “the ought self is someone else’s desire or interpretation of what a person’s ideal self should be (Boyatzis and Akrivou, 2006) (as cited by Boyatzis et al, 2015, p. 3).

Within this context, one distinct situation where I experienced a tipping point occurred while I was deployed and serving as an aide to a senior leader. Nearing the end of our sixteen-month deployment, my boss (senior leader) pulled me into his office and he began discussing options for my required career level professional military education (PME); in this case he was referring to the Military Police Captains Career Course (MPCCC).

In the military, leaders are expected to attend PME that is commensurate to their time (in service) and grade (rank). For me, the next logical step would be to attend the six-month long MPCCC where I would be exposed to MP topics, concepts, and strategies. Having served in a joint environment (during this deployment) and observed my potential for greater responsibility, my boss recommended that I consider attending the Marine Corps Expeditionary Warfare School (EWS) in lieu of the MPCCC. EWS was the Marine Corps’ version of the required PME, which was nine months long and consisted of combined arms doctrine. “Combined Arms are the appropriate combinations of infantry, mobile protected firepower, offensive and defensive fires, engineers, Army aviation, and joint capabilities” (Maneuver Self Study Program, 2014, par. 3). In essence, I would forego a six-month program on topics I was comfortable and well versed on for a more rigorous nine-month program on topics I had little exposure with.

My boss, again having a firm grasp of my work ethic and desire for continued growth, highlighted the importance this course of action would have on my ideal self; thus, PEA. Furthermore, he noted that this experience would be essential as I ascended to higher ranks and responsibilities. That learning my branch (MP) specific competencies was important, attending EWS would provide a greater understanding of military operations (ground, naval, & air) and leadership competencies that would have a greater impact on me holistically. Thus, I began reflecting more on this opportunity and my concept of “self” as it related to ideal self and ought self as noted above. According to Boyatzis et al. (2015, p. 3):

First, while a prevention focus (ought self) might spur a person to action to achieve short-term outcomes, any behavioral change approached from a loss/non-loss situation is unlikely to be maintained in the long term. Ironically, change actually requires a willingness to ‘lose’ a current state in order to move to a new, desired state (ideal self).

After much consideration, I decided to act on my boss’ recommendation and attend EWS with the frame of mind of achieving a greater perspective on the profession of arms and avoiding the comfort of “ought self.” This decision paid off greatly as I was exposed to a higher level of military operations and leadership challenges that I would not have acquired attending the MPCCC. Furthermore, this experience widened my perspective of how MP assets (among other assets) could better leverage operations, thus, setting me apart from many of my peers. This tipping point was a key event in the change process that closed the gap between “real self” and “ideal self.”

References

Boyatzis, R. E., Rochford, K., & Taylor, S. N. (2015). The role of the positive emotional attractor in vision and shared vision: toward effective leadership, relationships, and engagement. Frontiers in Psychology, 6, 670. http://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00670

Maneuver Self Study Program. (2014). United States Army. Retrieved from http://www.benning.army.mil/MSSP/Combined%20Arms%20Operations/