The Hindu Business Line : ...and now Maturity Quotient

IN business and at work, the difference between many effective achievers and the rest of the crowd is an individual's Maturity Quotient (MQ). This is the ability to logically think things through without allowing one's emotions to hijack one. Emotions and emotional reactions are very much a part of life. We're hard-wired to emotionally react to situations. This is a throwback to our caveman days when instant reactions were required for survival.

A sudden movement, an ambiguous move by a stranger, a dark shadow - each of this could have life-threatening consequences. Quick reactions were required and these came about when the sympathetic nervous system pumped chemicals into our body and brain. The brain was swamped with chemicals, there was no time to think, and the primitive, reactive parts of the brain took over.

Today, those instantaneous reactions are not needed. Most of our problems are better solved by thinking rather than emotionally reacting. But evolution hasn't quite caught up with the speed of human progress, and whenever we're faced with any situation we consider to be ambiguous or threatening, the same chemical reactions that saved our ancestors' lives happen to us.

Note that `threatening' here does not necessarily mean life-threatening. It can also be a threat to our ego or self-esteem or to our love and belonging needs. When we perceive a threat to any of these, the emotions well up.

Learn from the exemplars

Robert Carkhuff, who has researched peak performers (he calls them exemplars), says that the critical dimension that distinguishes exemplars from other performers is their processing or thinking ability. Exemplars do not react in a conditioned manner to external stimuli or situations. Instead they censor the initial response because they know it cannot be very productive if it emerges so easily. Exemplars, rather than reacting with the first thought or impulse, process the external stimulus or occurrence to produce the most productive response. In many cases we're faced with blocks or frustrations as we go through our day. People and situations just don't seem to want to work effectively with us. How we react to each of these blocks or frustrations determines our MQ.

Do we react with the first thought or behaviour that comes to mind? Or do we wait, let the emotional churn of chemicals pass, and then frame a suitable response designed to help us get our way? The hallmarks of a person with high MQ are:

The ability to recognise and understand one's own moods, emotions, and drives, as well as their effect on others.

The ability to control or redirect disruptive impulses and moods.

The ability to suspend judgment and to think before acting.

People who exhibit these characteristics invariably tend to be able to control situations and people and tend to be peak performers, or exemplars. Lincoln was obviously an exemplar with his measured responses to the crises of the civil war. And we all know Lincoln's famous saying - write your angry letter and put it in your drawer. Pure exemplar-type advice from a person with a high Maturity Quotient. Mahatma Gandhi was no less. Many of his reactions were measured and thought through. For example when asked why he went `scantily clad' to see the viceroy, he answered that he thought the viceroy was wearing enough clothes for both of them. He could have got moralistic or self-righteous, but instead, he chose humour and his reaction has become a classic.

The STOP tool

One of the best tools to ensure a mature reaction to situations is the STOP tool. It stands for Step Back, Think, Organise your thoughts, Proceed.

When faced with a difficult or delicate situation, rather than just pick up the phone and go ahead with the first thing that comes to mind, Step Back and detach yourself from the situation. If you are aware of strong feelings persisting, you haven't been able to Step Back. Next, Think things through by using the following questions. What are you really trying to achieve? What assumptions are you making? What is your current attitude? What can you do to ensure you get what you want? What should you say? How should you phrase what you say? What would be the possible reactions or consequences of each alternative that you think of? After that, bring order to your thoughts, and just do what you've chosen to do.

Consider the following situations. What would a mature reaction be?

A colleague is complaining about something, you know he's a habitual complainer. Do you jump in with your opinion, or do you first STOP to ask yourself whether you want to even give an opinion?

You see a pile of papers on your desk first thing in the morning. Do you automatically reach for them, or do you first STOP to plan the priorities of your day?

A supplier calls to say he won't be able to deliver as promised and you've got an order depending on this supply. Do you react furiously and yell and threaten in frustration? Or do you take a quick online STOP to weigh your options or do tell him you'll call him back after you've thought things through? In each case, you may find that you perform far better if you curb your initial reaction. To sum up, a person's Maturity Quotient depends on how effectively is able to inhibit disruptive emotional reactions, and instead think things through before acting.

The author is Organization Consultant, Erehwon Consulting, Bangalore.

Response can be sent to life@thehindu.co.in.

Illustration: J.A. Premkumar

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