Everyone working in Aged Care provides invaluable assistance to residents and patients. Working together, Clinical Care Coordinators, Clinical Care Managers, Registered Nurses, Residential and Facility Managers, ACFI Specialists and Personal Care workers ensure that the best care possible is
provided, when and where needed.
Delivering high-quality person-centred care requires excellent communication and relationship building skills, responsiveness, accuracy, problem-solving, empathy, self-motivation and collaboration with team members.
These are the skills of Emotional Intelligence, which include: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill.
In this 5 part HPG educational series we will discuss each of the components of Emotional Intelligence.
Part 2: Self-regulation
Success in busy environments like Aged Care requires high levels of self-regulation.
The key to successful self-regulation is the ability to control or redirect impulses and moods together with the ability to think before acting.
Successful self-regulators still feel bad moods and emotional impulses, just as everyone else does, however they find ways to control them.
Self-regulation is important because people who are in control of their feelings and impulses (ie people who are reasonable) are able to create an environment of trust and fairness.
In today’s fast-moving and ever-changing environment people who have mastered their emotions are able to roll with the changes.
When a new initiative is announced they don’t panic. Instead they are able to suspend judgment, seek out information and listen to others.
Self-regulation also enhances integrity – both personal and organizational. Many bad actions that happen are a function of impulsive behaviour. People don’t necessarily plan to lie, exaggerate, or misrepresent situations.
When an opportunity presents itself people with low impulse control just say yes.
By contrast people with high levels of self-regulation challenge impulses and build lasting relationships based on trust.
People with emotional self-regulation therefore have a propensity for reflection and thoughtfulness; comfort with ambiguity and change; and integrity – an ability to say no to impulsive urges.
The following are interview questions focusing on Self-regulation.
As a candidate, think through specific examples from your Aged Care experience and highlight your successes during your interview.
As an interviewer use these questions, and the responses you hear, to determine a candidate’s strengths.
Interview questions:
1. During busy times how do you feel?
2. In these situations how do you think that you come across to others?
3. Tell me about a time when there were lots of changes? How did you feel?
4. What do you find stressful?
5. What do you when you are feeling stressed?
As a candidate, be prepared to offer in-depth examples when further questioned by your interviewer.
As the interviewer, listen to the answers given and probe further for additional insight.