Emotional Intelligence (EI) is about recognizing and managing your emotions and those of others. There are four fundamental aspects of EI which are Self-Awareness, Self-management, Social Awareness, and Relationship Management. In this case, Diana is not good at controlling her emotions, and the majority of the time her emotions get the better of her. Emotions are psychological, behavioral, and physiological episodes that make an individual feel the need to react without being aware. Diana’s emotions are present numerous times during this case. For example, she felt uneasy as she arrived at the Cobb Street Grille corporate offices along with feeling anxious and fearful when learning what the outcome would be on her promotion. There were multiple times during the case where Diana showed physical emotions, such as bursting into tears and cringing when she found out that she did not get the position. These are all examples of Diana not having control over her emotions. She needs to be able to work on controlling her emotions to be able to react in situations like these. In this case, Diana shows a lack of emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence is the ability to understand and express emotion, understand and reason with it while being able to regulate the emotions found in an individual. There are four levels of the emotional intelligence hierarchy, which are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. Self-awareness is the act of understanding and defining the meaning of your own emotions. 

Diana has a high self-awareness because she knows she wants to be a District Manager and she thinks she is the perfect fit for the position. Her values are to work hard and follow the rules that are assigned to her and she shows off her strengths of being able to manage a restaurant. Also, her motivation to become a district manager is present. Self-management is how well an individual can control his or her inner state. Diana is very capable of managing herself along preparing for the role of a district manager. The downside, however, is that she sometimes loses her cool when trying to complete tasks or get certain jobs done. She is known to be a strict employee but is also very loyal and strives for her and everyone around her to do well. However, when she was told that she was not going to get the position she was hoping for, she let her self-management collapse and began to tear up. Social awareness is the ability to understand the meaning of other’s emotions. When it comes to being aware of the employees’ emotions and feelings, Diana deeply lacks in this territory. She rarely pays attention to her employees when they have a request, an idea, or even just an opinion. What makes it worse is what the employees have to say about her. The title ‘Ice Maiden’ is thrown around amongst the employees behind Diana’s back. She believes that meeting her financial goals is the only objective she needs to follow, and because she exceeds these goals, Diana considers herself and her performance outstanding. The relationship Diana shares with her employees is nothing more than a mechanical one. By not being social and working together with her employees, she does not know their needs and what they really think of her

Personality is the view in which individuals are agreeable and open to new things. Looking at the Five Factor Model Personality Theory, Diana extremely lacks in this section because she does not take any steps to build a healthy relationship with her employees. She needs to work on being more agreeable and open to new experiences in order to increase her success as a general manager. When one agrees on situations, it means they are being courteous, good natured, empathetic and caring. She lacks in this because she does not take the extra step to be closer to her employees. Openness to New Experiences: At this point, Diana follows the same rules and regulations, day in and day out. Instead of firing the three employees, she could have been open to a more creative approach and given the new customer service idea a try. In order to be open to new experiences, one needs to be imaginative, creative, aesthetically sensitive, and curious. Diana follows the same routine all the time and should be open to new, and creative ideas that are put forth by her team. Empathy: Empathy is when an individual is more open to others feelings, thoughts, and situations. Diana dictates how the restaurant is run along with any changes that may be made. She is so hell-bent with following the rules, that she is not being empathetic to her employees. If Diana opens herself up to understand how her employees feel, then she will gain miles into training individuals in a positive work environment. Accepting Feedback: In this scenario, employees seem to have many ideas and comments they would like to express to Diana but she does not listen or respond to them. By acting on comments made from the employees, she will make herself more accepted and a better restaurant manager. If she is open to accept positive and negative feedback, then she will indeed have a better chance at making herself more promotable.

1. Apply your knowledge of the four emotional intelligence dimensions to discuss the likely reasons why Diana was not offered the promotion.

2. What skills does Diana need to develop to be promotable in the future? What can the company do to support her development efforts.