Why emotional intelligence matters in the modern propane workplace

▶ How it works

DiSC training can be taken individually, for example, at a propane convention or state association meeting, or as a corporate team.

When a person registers and pays the fee, which can run $150 to $200 depending on the module, he or she receives a link to take an online assessment. The assessment yields an in-depth report examining the individual’s unique combination of traits.

Kathy Hershey-Jackson, the safety manager for Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Rhoads Energy, has taken the DiSC assessment three times, and says each time the results have been surprisingly accurate.

“When first answering the questions, the thought goes through your head of ‘How accurate is this going to be?’” she says. “But I feel that, if you give honest answers to the questionnaire, without overthinking it, you get an accurate result.”

Over the course of several hours – three to four hours for a normal training or more than two hours for a condensed version – the trainer shows videos and leads group exercises to help participants understand their results.

“I give a lot of examples and situations they can relate to, so they can pair up what they’re reading with real-life scenarios,” Jackson explains.

The results can be eye-opening.

“Some of us don’t realize how we are taken by other people until they have someone in front of them telling them,” she says. “Leaders might think they’re direct. But they might be seen as insensitive and brisk by employees. It’s not the same.”

The Agile EQ emotional intelligence module focuses on developing organizational agility to adapt to a changing workplace environment that might include globalization, new technologies, greater diversity and new competition.

Through the report and training, participants learn how their unique style shapes their responses and interactions. They begin to recognize opportunities and strategies to adapt more intentionally to social and emotional situations at work and home.

Emotional intelligence is especially important for those who work in customer service, where complaint calls require the ability to work toward resolution.

“Being able to be empathetic and objective helps to calm that customer down,” Jackson says. “Emotional intelligence teaches you to have a balance, to focus on the resolution and not on the problem coming at you.

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