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"Many clever people in this Country, but why do the performances of this nation are still worst? Is the character education become a solution"?
It is long enough psychology experts possessed certain paradigm that intelligence is based on cognitive side. Afterward, then, there were some experts found multiple intelligences. One of such multiple intelligences which quite important to make individual success on job performance is emotional intelligence. David Wechsler formulated intelligence as global capacity, rational thinking and can be effectively interaction with environment. He mentioned there are two elements of intelligence; intellectual and non intellectual (social, personal factors and affection). In 1943 Wechsler said that non intellectual element more importance for predicting capability of individual work performance. Wechsler is not the only expert who found the importance of non intellectual aspect, there were Robert Thorndike and Howard Gardner who described interpersonal and personal intelligences as significant aspects along with intellectual element to be considered for human improvement.. Leadership study of Hemphill and Ohio, USA found that mutual trust, respect, warmth and rapport are important aspects for an effective leadership. Leader who can create such aspects within the group members will enhance effectiveness of his/her leadership. The similar research were also happen at AT & T Telecommunication that social and emotional competences like communication, sensitivity, initiative, and interpersonal skills are needed for employees in achieving highest performance.
The Progress Research on Emotional IntelligenceSalovey & Mayer (1990) described emotional intelligence (EI) is a form of social intelligence that involves the ability to monitor one's own and others' feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them, and to use this information to guide one's thinking and action. They developed measurement tools for EI. In their research discovered that group with high EI will be easy to deal with others to build good social networking. In 1990s the work of Salovey and Mayer inspired Daniel Goleman to write best seller book titled: "Emotional Intelligence: Why it can matter more than IQ". IQ is not good predictor for job performance, even though our ordinary people still do not know about it. Amongst related researches on IQ only Hunter and Hunter (1984) who give higher percentage that is 25% for IQ as success factor on work performance. Other researches like Stenberg mentioned about l0 % the realistic percentage for IQ on such success. Even in other research the role of IQ only below 5%. On the other hand EI will contribute more than 80% of individual success on job performance. Research has shown that the cognitive ability and non cognitive ability are linked each other. In one study some kids who gathered in a room and are given marshmallow ask for waiting. They are informed that if they wait until researcher comes they will get one more marshmallow. 10 years later researcher found reality that those kids who patience for getting one marshmallow were having (210 point) higher score of SAT (scholar aptitude test) rather than those who did not patience to wait. This shows us the correlation between cognitive (SAT score) and non cognitive (patience) aspects. Patience and ability to handle emotion are reflecting the level of emotional intelligence (non cognitive) and can improve SAT Score (cognitive side) of person. (www.eiconsortium.org; access on June 22, 2006)
EI Value at the WorkplaceAbility to manage emotion and overcome with stress are parts of emotional intelligence which found important factors for success. A study at the workplace that involved store managers of a retail network company showed the ability to manage emotions and overcome with stress can increase sales, profit and goods investment value. The manager who can handle his emotion and overcome with stress can impact positively to his employees' performance. EI is related with ability of person in determining the right time to express emotion and manage it properly. For instance in an experiment at Yale University USA some volunteers took roles as manager in a team that assigned to allocate bonus for their subordinates. Among managers there was one manager who has been trained on how to express EI when interact with subordinates such warmth, respect and building rapport. The result was such trained manager can influence team members become solid and good teamwork and can distribute bonus fairly. Finally, the team work performance become higher. Empathy is also valued in EI person, an expert, Rosenthal and his colleagues found that someone who recognizes other emotion by performing empathy behavior would get success at workplace and his social activity. Then, Goleman (1995) stated emotional competence can lead and direct personal skills and social skills which support directly to job performance at workplace. Emotional competence as known as soft skills and need to develop-grow inside of Indonesian people. We realize, there are still many people do not have good character in their day-to-day life. This thing is due to our concentration is still much on academic or hard skills only. Meanwhile soft skills as important factor toward individual success has long enough ignored by all of us or as neglected factors. The character education which has currently became national discourses should be based on the-develop-grow of students; soft skills. In general, we find many people are proud of their intellectual capacity even though we can see much research that shows the importance of soft skills as a measure of success. Therefore, it is right for us especially those who have authority in education world to pay more attention on how to develop Indonesian students of their emotional intelligence and or soft skills. To enhance the capacity of Indonesians' soft skills, we must shift our education, which focuses on the intellectual domain. This shift to soft skills can also be applied to the market. Recruitment departments at workplaces should be provided with techniques on how to identify these skills in potential employees or job seekers. It is time to review our education policy that only focuses on intellectuality as the main aspect to be developed. We need curriculum which gives greater opportunity for improving soft skills.
*) A postgraduate student on Education Management at the Islamic State University (UIN) MalangHe is also Lecturer on Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Business Communication at Business and Economics Faculty of Brawijaya University, Malang East Java.
He expressed his opinion at his own personal
