Valeria, please could you tell us about your activities.
My work is related to my constant interest of how with less time, effort and resources, to still get the high-quality and great-quantity result. The result has always intrigued me, and in search of an answer to this riddle, I once started a company, which I called CORPORATE-EQ. The company is involved in development and implementation of training programs in emotional intelligence and study of emotional intelligence as a system of thought in business.
You talk about emotional intelligence, as an element, which is a must for a successful business development. What do you mean by this concept and how to apply it in real terms?
The concept of `emotional intelligence` is something quite new. Some argue that emotional intelligence is a management skill of the III millennium, while others are not even aware of its existence. I define emotional intelligence as a system of thought, which, once you start using, gives you the behavioral advantage to accelerate immensely.
Valeria, you are the first in the vast Ukraine, who have started talking about corporate emotional intelligence and thus you have become the pioneer of the idea, not only in our country, but also in Europe. Tell us about your copyright methodologies. What are their pros and how can they benefit Ukrainian business?
I have a number of copyright techniques, three of which deal directly with business. The first one is a resource management technique that helps a businessman avoid illnesses, endure serious loads, stay optimistic and resilient, and enjoy their work.
Second, Work&life balance, is a methodology of how to keep a proper business and family balance. It teaches that it is impossible to choose between these two. The latter, incidentally, is reconfirmed by my 15 years of experience. It also includes a business approach in education of children. What is this approach about? To maintain the family and business balance, overloaded business people should master such tools that would allow them to effectively switch and have fun, instead of thinking about the business while communicating with his wife and a child, or, on the contrary, with her husband and children. It has fascinated me to such a great extent that I have even created an online product.
The third copyright technique, LEAN-EQ method, is meant to create training programs for emotional intelligence as a system of thought and the missing factor in the success of the company. Company’s emotional intelligence – this is what regulates the processes of innovation, team collaboration, business flexibility, while the emotional intelligence of employees directly depends on the emotional intelligence of top managers or business owners. That is, my technique involves a systematic approach to improving the corporate EQ level.
I`m sure that companies that have reached a certain level and want to develop further, but do not know how and what to do, are the ones that are faced with restrictions at the level of emotional intelligence of their employees. Therefore, the development of emotional intelligence, as the missing element, will, in my opinion, streamline the development of the Ukrainian business.
What do you think you would achieve by implementing such techniques in Ukraine?
As I said before, emotional intelligence is the management skill of the third millennium that gives a definite advantage in business. Being flexible, adapt quickly, respond adequately and choose the best option means becoming a winner. The number of companies in the world engaged in emotional intelligence training is growing, especially in the US, where this issue receives sufficient attention. Also, several of such companies have appeared in Europe.
How did you get to work with IT companies?
Once I was surprised to find out that among my clients there are 70% of senior executives from IT companies. Agile and Scrum do not always work well, while this area of business is changing very quickly and known for its maximum sensitivity to any innovation and instant reaction to any discoveries and inventions. Agile and Scrum are a philosophy and methodology that often cannot be successfully implemented because of the low EQ of those, who actually deal with it.
Lviv Business School (LvBS) appeared to be the first major organization that has responded to my training product `Emotional intelligence for tops in negotiations`. LvBS is an unconventional and creative business school that operates in the spirit of modern times.
The staff at IT companies needs to learn quickly, and it is impossible to survive in this sphere without emotional intelligence. In the meantime, emotional intelligence, in my view, is often underestimated as it’s poorly understood. For example, no one knows how to improve soft skills, while my training program is based on scientific discoveries in the field of work of intuitive thinking.
You’ve got rather unusual hobbies, please tell us about them.
Before answering this question, I want to point out that a significant portion of my time during already two years, since the war started, is spent on social projects, such as training of professionals working with combatants in the ATO zone. Also, I can’t help mentioning my participation in the programs dedicated to the educational reform. I support teachers (including financially), who believe the educational system should exercise equality with the students, as individuals, who one can learn from, as well as share your knowledge with them. I do not get tired speaking on the subject of education, whose main value, I believe, should be about instructors and parents teaching their children and students how to learn, rather than downloading the actual knowledge into them. Upbringing children is in itself a fascinating process, and I myself am a mom of a 20-year-old daughter, successful enough, in my opinion. My daughter’s love for horses, and my work related to the preparation of the athlete Inna Logutenkova, who participates in Rio 2016 Olympics, brought me to the equestrian sport. Being a horse owner, you will agree, is great! And I travel a lot and I love the sea.
What would you like to wish to our readers?
Combine the incompatible. The most interesting discoveries, the most encouraging results come at the intersection of science, at the point where we are trying to combine incompatible things. I wish that everyone, using emotional intelligence, could learn that and practice all the time. Combining career and family, cold analytical mind and liveliness of reactions. All this will lead you to new discoveries and pleasure not only in business, but also in life.