Comment It always comes around sooner than you think. With a large slice of fantasy, cultural mythology, and suspension of disbelief, it's time to get out the tinsel and celebrate the arrival of this year's Gartner hype cycle.

Officially the "Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies, 2021", the research documents trends the tech industry would like to talk about, even if few emerge fully formed into anything we would understand as the real world.

Top of the gift list this year are nonfungible tokens (NFT), sovereign cloud, data fabric, generative AI, and composable networks, all supposedly arriving to help beat the competition in some way or other, the omnipresent analyst organisation said.

"Technology innovation is a key enabler of competitive differentiation and is the catalyst for transforming many industries," according to Brian Burke, research vice president at Gartner. "Breakthrough technologies are continually appearing, challenging even the most innovative organisations to keep up. Leading organisations will lean on the emerging technologies in this year's Hype Cycle to build trust and new growth opportunities against a background of continued strategic change and economic uncertainty."

The Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies is unique among most Gartner Hype Cycles, the press release babbles on, because it distils insights from more than 1,500 technologies into a succinct set of "must know" emerging technologies and trends that show promise in delivering a high degree of competitive advantage over the next five to 10 years.

In a statement singularly lacking in self-awareness, Melissa Davis, research vice president at Gartner, added that organisations should "cut through the hype surrounding emerging technologies" as if her esteemed employers were not providing a continual stream of risible hyperbole.

Now, The Register has published a definite debunking of the hype machine, pointing out that, even on its own terms, many of its earlier predictions fail to see the light of day in any recognisable form. For example, just five years ago Smart Dust, 4G printing, and General Purpose Machine Intelligence appeared on the list. Quantum computing seems to appear and disappear from the list almost at random as if springing from some kind of probability field.

Other items appear out of nowhere. The aforementioned NFTs, now darling of the post-bonkers blockchain bubble, is right at the top of the hype cycle for 2021. And yet, just a year ago, it was nowhere to be seen, at least according to the media-shared graph.

Conversely, concepts said to be on the up last year, such as two-way brain-machine interfaces, have disappeared without a trace on this year's chart. It's enough to make a confused observer wonder if the whole enterprise is even a vaguely reliable predictor of future technologies, or heaven forbid a pantomime engineered to keep Gartner's name and logo in the spotlight.

But for those who keep score, the highlights of this year's list includes quantum machine learning, machine-readable legislation, and homomorphic encryption.

Maybe we are indeed entering the season when if you believe something enough, it just might come true.

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Gartner Gartner on the wall, which is the hypest cycle of them all? - The Register

From losing weight by tapping into your psyche, to better understanding what motivates you to make sustainable lifestyle choices, behavioural psychology can help you to improve your health and reduce your environmental impact

Do you want to reduce single-use plastic but never remember to take a reusable cup when buying your takeaway coffee? Or maybe you know that too many cakes arent good for your health but somehow they keep making their way into your shopping basket. Most of us have fallen prey to cognitive dissonance; when our actions dont marry up with our beliefs.

What can we do to overcome this? One solution that innovators and academics are championing is the use of behavioural psychology the study of the connection between our minds and behaviour to help bridge the gap between intention and action.

The approach is used by Noom, a digital health platform that provides educational articles, tools for tracking progress, and support from virtual coaches, to help people work towards their health goals. It draws upon cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), a popular talking therapy that helps people manage problems by changing the way they think and behave, as an integral part of its programme. The curriculum encourages self-awareness and provides gentle nudges to help people stay on track.

Behavioural psychology helps bridge the gap between intention and action. Image: Sam Owoyemi

Many people depend on a willpower-only approach when trying to implement new habits, says Nooms chief of psychology, Andreas Michaelides. But this often doesnt work in the long-run. When it comes to losing weight, for example, people may approach it as a fairly easy task because its just a matter of reducing calories. However, Michaelides says weight loss is not easy at all.

Have you ever heard a friend say, I know what to do, but I just cant do it? If weight loss only amounted to the sum of calories in and calories out, people would not struggle on this journey, or there would not be a prevalence of obesity in our society. Unfortunately, the reasons for eating certain foods are not always easy to identify or change.

To change a habit, he continues, you must work against the brains natural urges to repeat common, established processes. These changes are difficult to accomplish as you will need to combat natural impulses and solidified habits. Whats more, he explains, is that as you try to rewrite these habits in your brain, decision fatigue and willpower depletion often follow.

So what to do? It is essential to set small, realistic goals that will help build your confidence around these new habits, Michaelides says, adding that our mental wellbeing can be affected if we keep failing at something we think we should be able to master through willpower alone.

Can behavioural psychology help us embrace more sustainable habits? Image: Louis Hansel

When diets fail people tend to turn on themselves as they start to feel inadequate or see themselves as the failure. However, the more we break down unrealistic goals and expectations, the more we can begin to see that we can make changes. By providing users with bite-sized courses broken down into 1-3 minute modules, this is exactly what Noom aims to do.

Sustainable thinking

This idea that success comes when information in our brains is split into manageable chunks also feeds into a psychological approach being investigated by researchers from the University of Geneva. They published a paper last year on how decision-making around sustainability can be improved through the concept of mental accounting.

The idea is centred around how people tend to create separate budget compartments in their minds, linked to specific things. For example, if someone goes to a concert but cant find their ticket, they are unlikely to buy another as they have already spent their concert budget.

One aspect of mental accounting is called the spillover effect, which refers to the fact that we tend to justify one behaviour by another. Someone who makes the effort to cycle to work every day will use this argument to justify, to himself or others, buying a plane ticket to go on holiday to the Seychelles, says Tobias Brosch, professor of the psychology of sustainable development at the university.

A possible strategy to prevent this could be to encourage people to think of separate mental accounts for each different behaviour, just like they might do in a purely financial sense, as in our concert ticket example. For example, one for everyday transportation and one for flights or holidays. The urge to justify behaviour would then be impeded due to the lack of fungibility [exchangeability] between accounts, Brosch says. Perhaps that person would then use any financial savings that came about through cycling, on another environmentally friendly everyday transport-centred goal, such as buying an electric car.

When it comes to any personal goal health, environmental or otherwise Michaelides believes the possibilities are endless when we approach them through a behavioural psychology lens. Behaviour is an essential component of many of the goals we want to achieve. By expanding your knowledge of how behaviour change works, you can apply these principles to any area of your life.

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How behavioural psychology can help you put your intentions into action - Positive.News

Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor prepared royally for their scene-stealing roles as Princess Diana and Prince Charles.

In a recent interview with W Magazine, Corrin, who uses they/them and she/her pronouns, and their co-star, O'Connor, explained that for their painstaking roles in the fourth season of the Netflix hit, The Crown, the two were committed to capturing every inch of a love story going awry in the public eye.

"We both spent a long time during prep researching the nuances of failed marriages," O'Connor told the outlet. "Our care for our own characters and each other's meant that whatever the scene was, we were completely focused on telling a truthful and real account of those moments."

Corrinwho recalled a particular scene of the Princess dancing to Billy Joel's "Uptown Girl" at London's Royal Opera (while the Prince sulked in his house box)also opened up about the perception they had on the relationship while playing the Princess of Wales.

The Crown Cast Vs. the Royals They Play

"We see her burning, youthful spirit exploding out in these dance scenes," Corrin recalled, "and in the way she tried to get through to Charles how she felt about him."

Another heartbreaking scene involved Princess Diana surprising her then-husband with a unique wedding anniversary gift: a recording of her performance of "All I Ask of You" from Andrew Lloyd Webber's hit musical, The Phantom of the Opera. Fans of the series may recall Prince Charles making fun of the present to his sister, calling it "monstrous."

Netflix

And although Corrin goes on to credit their co-star for getting them through those tough moments during filming, O' Connor praised his on-screen love interest for their self-awareness.

"Emma has a natural wisdom," O'Connor told the outlet. "They understand the pressures associated with being in the public eye better than anyone I know, including people who've been in the public eye for many years."

It's worth noting that for their portrayals, both Corrin and O' Connor have snagged countless awards respectively. For their individual roles as the royal couple, both O'Connor, 31, and Corrin, 25, each won a Golden Globe award, and Screen Actors Guild award, and both have been nominated for a Primetime Emmy.

Also, fun fact: Corrin commemorated Princess Diana's ring during her audition for The Crown in the most unique way: by getting her nails to match the priceless accessory. Check out the details in the interview with W above!

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Emma Corrin and Josh O'Connor Researched This Before Playing Princess Diana and Prince Charles - Yahoo Entertainment

Education Minister Chan Chun Sing said that to navigate an increasingly complex and competitive world, Singapore students have to pursue more diverse interests and capabilities, beyond what is taught and tested in schools (Develop diverse strengths for a more complex world: Chan, Aug 17).

This suggests that formal education may no longer provide the necessary skills and knowledge to take on challenges of the future.

The beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic saw the acceleration of the democratisation of education.

Coursera, co-founded by Singapore-educated Andrew Ng, reported a 644 per cent year-on-year increase in course enrolment during a 30-day period last year. Other massive online open course platforms also reported astounding growth.

As the viability of these offerings enters the public consciousness, we must re-evaluate the role of formal education in Singapore, and acknowledge and tap the global talent pool of educators who are at the top of their domains.

Mr Chan's words allude to a concession that we can no longer forecast future needs, which would require an approach beyond what formal education can offer at present.

I see this as a shift in dynamics towards relevant, high-quality, modular, just-in-time continuing education and training schemes.

What then do we do with the six years of compulsory education in Singapore?

We must instil in our students a good sense of self-awareness and a sound moral compass.

To that end, schools should make philosophy a core subject, and make sure it is contextualised authentically.

As an educator who coaches student roboticists to represent the nation and win top honours on the biggest stages, I am intimately aware of the limitations of our current system and am stoked about the changes Mr Chan's words suggest.

I look forward to a formal education system that is more flexible and efficient in delivering the outcomes we desire by moving from pedagogy, where one is taught, to heutagogy, where one determines one's own learning.

Kenneth Chow

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Forum: Make formal education system more flexible to deliver new outcomes - The Straits Times

One episode that stands out among the others is Season 6, Episode 12, "Scott's Tots," which received the most mentions. Reddit user u/jdeluca87 wrote, "SCOTTS TOTS FOR SURE! Took me 3 attempts to finish that episode," and u/Alternative_Body 7345 commented the episode "makes me want to hide under the couch."

Throughout the series, Michael inadvertently exhibits homophobic, racist, sexist, and generally offensive behavior, but the only ones who suffer are his employees, and it's difficult not to feel sympathy towards a man who so desperately just wants to be liked. However, in "Scott's Tots," Michael's bad judgment and overall stupidity have far-reaching consequences. The episode reveals that 10 years earlier, Michael promised a class of underprivileged children that if they graduated from high school, he would subsidize their college educations. When it comes time to pay the tab, Michael has to skip out on the bill. Michael admits that this one was by far the most generous out of all the empty promises he's made.

We have to agree with u/interestingmongoose's critique, who stated the episode "always makes me cringe."

Link:
Fans Agree That These Are The Hardest Episodes Of The Office To Watch - Looper

When it comes to personal growth, there aint no mountain high enough. Life is an upward journey of more knowledge, insights and skills. The best of us know this, but the ones who stand out most are the ones who couple this climb with impact. Taking the higher consciousness and grander knowledge gained, they return to their base to spark change.

These are the kinds of graduates the emba X by ETH Zrich and University of St.Gallen produces. The mountains provide the ideal backdrop and metaphor for the emba X, according to Senior Programme Advisor Claudio Feser. It is about going high, but its also about coming back and making a change, he explains.

Feser is talking about the key advantage of the emba X: personal development. It is the vital path in developing tomorrows responsible leaders. A pioneer in this aspect, the emba X dedicates close to one-quarter of the credited curriculum to personal development and skill building interventions. The setting? Switzerland where mountains cover two thirds of the country making it the perfect study environment to train body, mind, and soul.

The 18-month, joint programme is Europes most relevant Executive MBA. It is rigorous and most importantly, future-focused thanks to a partnership that bridges the gap between technology and business.

ETH Zrich is a world-renowned institution of innovation and technology. The University of St.Gallen a Triple Crown accredited leader in education is known to foster an entrepreneurial spirit that sparks positive economic and social change. The combination provides two ideal student experiences for the price of one, boasting twice the professors, support, perspectives, facilities, and networking opportunities.

Together, ETH Zrich and the University of St.Gallen cover the topical subjects of technology, international management, leadership, business innovation, and social responsibility in a hybrid format. Around 30% to 40% of the emba X is delivered online while the rest of it is taught on-site at both institutions.

While horizons are broadened with an interdisciplinary approach, toolkits are filled with the Personal Development Plan a holistic, customisable offering that drives student transformations, evolving professionals into experts. Expert input, consulting, coaching, mentoring, individual and group activities in both digital and physical formats facilitate this growth.

Skill Building Interventions are just as robust they are one or two-day workshops modelled in line with the four core components of behavioural skill development: Modelling, instruction, rehearsal, and feedback.

Feser, the mind behind the emba Xs unique focus on personal development and skill-building, is a practitioner himself. With three decades of experience at McKinsey & Company, hes witnessed the evolution of business first-hand. The exposure helped him strategise the right formula to ensure aspiring business leaders are agile enough to keep up in the ever-evolving world of business.

We grouped key competencies into three areas: higher cognitive skills, higher social and emotional skills, and integrative skills, he shares. This is what the Personal Development Plan and Skill Building Interventions focus on. We aim to help people gain a higher level of self-awareness and interpersonal awareness. In the end, they become more effective as leaders.

Students apply newfound knowledge with 11 days of real work via tailored social, business innovation, and company projects. Throughout their journey, they are guided by industry leaders that double as faculty members all of whom are ever willing to provide feedback and advice.

They learn specific tools, techniques, and methodologies not just during these 11 days, but throughout the programme. By continuously nudging them to use these tools, they graduate fully understanding the subject and are immediately able to add value to organisations, says Feser.

By being able to study in both Zrich and St.Gallen learners get the best of both worlds in one country. Source: University of St. Gallen

Theres no better place to study new and improved business practices than in the heart of Europe and surrounded by the Alps. Apart from Swiss delicacies like sinful chocolates and fine cheeses, Switzerland is known for its economic influence, entrepreneurial atmosphere, and education system. The country also has centuries of experience in leveraging technology as a means to help local communities.

Amid the hustle and bustle, theres plenty of room for inspiration. Here, lofty, snow-covered mountains slice the sky and those who reach the peak know theyre only halfway through their journey.

The emba X experience was developed from this perspective, offering its students a journey that is filled with hurdles, accomplishment, teamwork, self-discovery, and ultimately, celebration. From a programme perspective, we want people to reach new heights, says Feser.

By being able to study in both Zrich and St.Gallen learners get the best of both worlds in one country. Zrich is the nations largest city, famous for being fast-paced, ultra-vibrant, and the centre of economic life and education. Meanwhile, St.Gallen is nestled between Lake Constance and the Alps exuding the feel of a quaint, charming, traffic-free old town.

With an emba X, theres no need to choose from one or the other click here to begin your journey to business mastery on the ultimate alpine trek.

Follow the University of St.Gallen on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube

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emba X by ETH Zrich and University of St.Gallen: The peak of your personal growth - Study International News

Rolling clouds and a setting sun were the artistry Mother Nature painted for the Inland Empires Saturday night hip-hop tidal wave of Atmosphere, Cypress Hill and DJ Z-Trip at the Pavilion at Riverfront.

A venue of stairs, grass and concrete floor filled up as the seconds were peeled away until Z-Trip took to his turntables with an arsenal of vinyl records. With most modern DJs, you usually get the artist pressing play on a laptop, which is the complete opposite with Z-Trip.

A DJ for more than 30 years and known for his vinyl-only approach of mix tapes and live shows, Z-Trip creates pure amazement with his needle sliding right into the track with precision each and every time.

Each crackle and pop through the speaker unleashed the horde into a world of genre-blurring tracks from Snoop Dogg to Led Zeppelin. This started a fire in the crowd that the daunting clouds could not suppress.

Z-Trip was just the opener, but he had two showings that were split by the lyrical juggernauts of L.A.s Cypress Hill and Minnesotas Atmosphere. The early 1990s showed the planet the sound of West Coast hip-hop, and newly formed Cypress Hill was the team who piqued the ears of the counter culture with pro-cannabis lyrics.

With the launch of their 1991 self-titled album, Cypress Hill changed everything for the culture of rap, at which time cannabis-specific lyrics were typically subdued or minimal in mainstream hip-hop.

As clouds billowed from the side stage-mounted fog machine when Cypress Hill took the stage, the floor filled with hundreds of fans all eager to hear B Reels vocal delivery. Track after track brought the crowd from the concrete to the sky as they partied with the lyrical masters.

Fans were blessed with the sounds of A to the K, then it got funky in the clouds with Phuncky Feel One before landing back on Earth with Hand on the Pump, then they mesmerized by DJ Lord and Eric Bobo as the duo jammed on the tables and drums that spun the crowd into an eruption with the beat dropping of Dr. Greenthumb.

Enough smoke had cleared as Hits From the Bong loaded up a chaos of dancing that did not let up until the last note cleared the speakers from set-ender (Rock) Superstar. With ears buzzing and high-fives tossed out like candy at a parade, the crowd continued with groovy beats by Z-Trip as Atmospheres crew loaded up on the Pavilions stage.

A wind of change swept through the venue, and as clouds moved, so did the fans to the front of the stage awaiting co-headliner Atmosphere. Slug (Sean Daley), Atmosphere frontman, took the stage, and DJ/producer Ant (Anthony Davis) accompanied Slug, as the Minnesota duo has been creating influential albums since 1996.

We want you to meet your new two best friends Atmosphere, Slug said. Roars of applause and screams of excitement engulfed the audience while Slug simultaneously snatched his mic out of its resting place. The intro to Puppets chimed out piano keys, streaming over the PA system, and was muffled by the crowds enthusiasm.

With their endless options of hits, the set list had the creative trademark of Atmosphere that fans have loved since the late 1990s. Rolling out 20 tracks in a meager 90 minutes is no small feat, but that is Slug and Ants standard issue set that they have delivered since I first saw them 15 years ago.

The family-friendly crowd was home to the dancing antics of children of all ages. With spoken-word intros, piano samples and melodies also creating a rare vibe for dancing for fans of all ages, Atmosphere left nothing to the imagination.

Flowing from The Loser Wins and crowd-pleaser Onemosphere, Slug and the Spokane crowd became tied in unison as heads, closed fists and peace-signed hands bounced to Pour Me Another. God Loves Ugly brought the rain-soaked fans into Sunshine, a track that embraces listeners in a blanket of buttery-smooth positivity and offering warm spiritually.

With an open letter to his son Jacob, Slug conveyed his feelings in Little Man, a song that speaks about his relationship with his son and his dad, Craig, and closes with a verse about his self-awareness and accountability. The 4-minute track focuses on multiple open-for-interpretation scenarios that create that special bond between Atmosphere and fans.

As the rain was subsiding, the bass hit Shrapnel, Scapegoat and Smart Went Crazy, all of which Slug speaks to listeners from the heart of a man with a message about personal issues from which Atmosphere creates.

Slug dropped a freestyle with such liquid silkiness out of the nothingness of space and time that it seemed impossible it wasnt laid out in front of him. But with a mind full of positivity and lyrics to showcase his connective capabilities to his surroundings, multiple minutes were ignited by his creative flame and one-of-a-kind approach to freestyling.

Through the closing seconds of meticulous freestyle flow, Atmosphere arrived at the end of the set with Trying to Find a Balance, a song with underlying hints of living a life of moderation. In true Atmosphere style, the beat ended, and the duo walked right off stage, apropos of one of their lyrics: You never need an encore if you leave it all out onstage.

Playgrounds are irresistible.

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Review: Atmosphere, Cypress Hill unleash a tidal wave of hip-hop at Pavilion at Riverfront - The Spokesman-Review

If youve been following the filming of the new Sex and the City reboot, And Just Like That, you will have noticed that a handful of Carrie Bradshaws signature sartorial choices are making cameos. The Fendi baguette bag, the blue velvet corsage, the black studded belt. And, last Thursday, Sarah Jessica Parker gave fans on Instagram a hint that the iconic tulle and white ankle boots she favoured so heavily in the original series would be making a comeback.

One thing has changed though a bag. More specifically, a plain old canvas carry bag from NPR the very worthy, intellectually hip National Public Radio service, where, it is rumoured, Carrie may have her own podcast.

Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw on the set of And Just Like That. Credit:Getty

Its also been rumoured that Mr Big loses his fortune, which might explain the dip into a work freebie. But with a younger, more diverse writing team on board for the new series, it might be that Carrie, ever the fashion pioneer, has woken up to what even Princess Catherine has made a habit of tucking the more ostentatious sections of ones wardrobe away in favour of plain old high street threads.

By choosing a canvas tote you show that you care, says Daiane Scaraboto, Associate Professor of Marketing at Melbourne University, adding the inclusion of one is most definitely a statement on conscious consumption.

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The responsibility to solve the worlds wicked problems the climate crisis, for example, has been increasingly pushed on to consumers, she says. Individuals then feel they should make right choices when it comes to consumption, and a canvas tote is one of the most widely spread symbols of eco-friendliness.

Many luxury brands and consumers are now developing a discourse that luxury is sustainable because it has quality; it lasts, and it can be resold. I think we will see a mix of both in the post-lockdown world: canvas tote bags and designer bags. What is interesting is that these can happily co-exist and their choices be justified with the same rationale.

By choosing a canvas tote you show that you care.

If the tote that Sarah Jessica Parker has held on to in no less than three different scenes, isn't her own bag and is instead a bona fide prop it will be the perfect anti-fashion symbol for these times. The tote is traditionally a grocery bag, and the shops are, quite literally, the only place to be right now.

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And just like that, a tote bag enters the Sex and the City universe - Sydney Morning Herald

There are two pandemics happening right now, a medical one and an information one. Both wildly destructive to our health.

We have been inundated with a massive wave of information since the Delta outbreak in Sydney began. Every intricacy about each vaccine, stay-at-home orders for every region, government grants. The next day more explosive intricacies and details about the vaccine, new stay-at-home orders, new government grant analysis.

Information overload is becoming dangerous.Credit:Istock

Then we have every person weighing in on all of this on social media. About 6000 tweets are posted onto Twitter every second. Thats 350,000 tweets a minute or 500 million tweets a day. COVID NSW has been trending for weeks, full of tweets devoted to giving us even more information, opinions, criticisms about COVID-19. The same thing is happening on Facebook, Reddit, WhatsApp, websites and blogs. The list goes on and on.

We are mentally, physically and emotionally exhausted from information overload. The problem is that that exhaustion can encourage us to step out of the mainstream news and seek out simpler information and solutions. Ive been told multiple times by friends and colleagues lately that they have stopped listening to The News, stating that its too much and that theyre losing hope.

Hello misinformation, fake news and conspiracy theories! Posts on WhatsApp, Messenger, Facebook present extreme yet easy to understand solutions. Such posts are everywhere and because we are information-tired they are becoming our quick-fix, go-to place to keep up to date.

Think of the information landscape as a layered cake. The bottom layer is the real and fact-based information that we find on the Service NSW website or from reputable news platforms. This, however, is squashed by layers and layers of opinions, conspiracy theories, unfounded information and lies that enter our field of vision every time we go online. Its appealing because it is easy to understand, theres not too much detail and it is written to convince us.

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The problem is all this content sits alongside each other when we see it online, and its difficult to differentiate one layer from the other. We are highly vulnerable right now, our faith in authorities is waning and, as a result, we can make some poor decisions based on unfounded, non-fact-based content.

Ive been studying our engagement with technology for over 15 years and I see our digital lifestyle much more clearly than I ever have. With all the good that technology offers, the information-overload/misinformation nexus is a defining feature of the digital age, and we have to shape our practices so that we stay healthy despite this. By we, I mean us as individuals, but also the government and other places we need to get the facts from.

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The other pandemic threatening our health: online misinformation - Sydney Morning Herald

By Scott Dust 5 minute Read

For decades scholars have debated the relative importance of cognitive intelligence (IQ) versus emotional intelligence (EQ) to workplace performance. Research shows both are helpful. However, in the era of COVID-19, my bet is on emotional intelligence playing a much stronger role.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify and regulate emotions in ways that help us think more clearly and work with others more effectively. Such an ability is a superpower for managing uncertainty and ambiguitysomething everyone is experiencing these days.

For example, many employees are being asked to come back to the office. This is causing employees to adjust their routines and deal with vague and constantly changing COVID-19 policies. Some are adjusting to a completely remote work environment. Others are still trying to figure out what exactly a hybrid work environment entails. Worse yet, some are unemployed and fighting through Zoom-only interviews. These experiences are emotionally demanding and necessitate conversations with others that require tact and empathy.

In research with my colleagues at Miami University, weve found that emotional intelligence might be particularly well-suited for dealing with work-related challenges. In our 2018 study published in the Journal of Organizational Behavior, we asked 157 undergraduates to complete a well-validated, ability-based emotional intelligence assessment. We then contacted them in a follow-up survey more than 10 years later, when these same individuals were adults with full-time jobs.

From our research, we found that the higher employees were in emotional intelligence, the more likely they would overcome one of the biggest challenges of their work-lifeemployment gapsbreaks in employment that are either involuntary (like a termination) or voluntary (like a gap used to care for family).

Specifically, we found that employees higher in emotional intelligence were not only more likely to get back on their feet, but also to find jobs that aligned with their skills, within organizations that aligned with their values. This is important, because person-job fit and person-organization fit relate to a host of beneficial outcomes, such as job satisfaction and employee performance.

Prior work has focused on why emotional intelligence improves performance in the moment. This is too narrow. Work success is a marathon, not a sprint. Your cognitive intelligence might help you solve a problem quickly and efficiently at any one point in time. Emotional intelligence, however, is a long-term game. Success is more likely when one properly manages moment-to-moment emotions and interactions with others over a long period of time, which eventually facilitates future success.

To help illustrate this point, consider another study published by my colleague, Dr. Joseph Rode, and his team, in the Journal of Vocational Behavior. The study investigated whether emotional intelligence was related to long-term salary; a popular indicator of objective career success. In this study 126 undergraduates completed an emotional intelligence assessment, and were then surveyed more than 10 years later. As expected, emotional intelligence was strongly associated with higher salaries, even after controlling for cognitive intelligence factors like IQ and grade point average.

Even more interesting is why this seemed to happen. Individuals higher in emotional intelligence had higher salaries because they had at least one mentorsomeone who holds a senior position (and not necessarily their manager) that takes an active interest in developing the individuals career. This signals that the reason emotional intelligence is important for success is that it helps people navigate work by seeking out the support of others, something that is emotional and psychosocial in nature.

In work environments where volatility and change are ever-present, performance becomes more of a long-term endeavor. Its about staying afloat and keeping the long-term goal in mind by artfully taking up resources. This suggests that during the era of COVID-19 employees should be considering several emotionally intelligent approaches to work. Along those lines, outlined below are some of the key elements of emotional intelligence and descriptions of how they relate to the current work environment.

Self-awareness entails recognizing your emotions and how they are connected to your thoughts and behaviors. This might be especially important with dealing with burnout, which is at an all-time high. You cant operate at your full capacity if youre not realistic about the degree to which you are emotionally exhausted.

Additionally, as organizations begin implementing new policies on working in the office, from home, or some combination of the two, its important that you are aware of how this affects you. You are responsible for maximizing your work while maintaining your sanity given your unique needs, tendencies, and preferences.

Further, other awareness is important. Other awareness entails recognizing the emotions of others. This manifests as being more empathetic, such that you recognize the needs of others. It can also manifest as being attuned to the sociocultural dynamics of situations.

Were in a phase of work where work-home balance has taken a back-seat to work-home integration. Give others the benefit of the doubt about their energy and availability; be empathetic and work hard at having transparent and authentic interactions. Additionally, tread lightly on conversations about COVID-19, as not everyone will agree on the best way forward. Opinions vary widely on several issues, such as when and whether its safe to return to the office and whether or not to get vaccinated.

Self-regulation entails being able to manage your emotions in ways that are healthy and situation-appropriate. You are able to separate stimulus from response such that you can choose to respond to stimuli in ways that are most appropriate.

Keep in mind that everyone handles change differently. If you are lower in tolerance for ambiguity, for example, learn how to self-regulate and manage your emotions so that they dont cloud your judgment. Relatedly, if there are return-to-work- policies that you disagree with, its important to control emotionally charged reactions that might result in decisions you later regret.

Relationship management entails knowing how to develop and maintain good relationships, communicate clearly, inspire and influence others, work well in a team, and manage conflict.

When work gets challenging, we tend to become more self-interested as opposed to collective-minded. Keep in mind that team success tends to trickle down to individual success. And, your colleagues are your primary source of coping resourceswhether it be for social support or through collaborative problem-solving.

Work is not a never-ending series of Rubiks Cubes that need to be solved. If it were, cognitive intelligence alone would be fine. Instead, todays work environment is more like being stuck inside an escape room experience with your teammates, but with vague instructions and blindfolds. Cognitive intelligence cant hurtbut if the chaos of the past year continues, emotional intelligence will become increasingly paramount to success.

Scott Dust, PhD, is a management professor at the Farmer School of Business, Miami University, and the chief research officer at Cloverleaf, an HR-tech platform that helps organizations create amazing teams.

Excerpt from:
EQ and returning to work - Fast Company