Volvo Buses

Australia

Emotional Intelligence drives good decisions

The role of emotional intelligence was a key theme of the 2013 Women on Board Seminar, sponsored by Volvo Bus Australia to recognise and enhance the contribution of women to the Australian bus and coach industry.
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Currently, women make up only 10 per cent of the industry in Australia, but events like Women on Board are focussed on increasing their participation in the industry.

John Louder, Volvo Bus & Coach Sales Manager at CMV Truck and Bus welcomed the luncheon crowd emphasising Volvo’s and CMV’s passion for the industry, its customers and the Women on Board event.

“As a company, CMV Truck and Bus along with Volvo Bus strongly believe in fostering a diverse workplace. We are committed to championing the people that comprise our industry hope to provide resources for development through events such as this,” said John.

The event provided a platform for women in the bus and transport industry to learn and discuss how Emotional Intelligence plays in the workplace.

Guest speaker Erica Nelson, a consultant from Emotional Intelligence Worldwide, discussed how using emotions effectively actually enhances decision making and explained that different emotions help with different types of problem solving.

Following the networking morning tea, host Julia Camm Evans, Director at international consulting company Corven, facilitated a panel discussion on Emotional Intelligence along with Leah Waymark, General Manager Corporate Relations of Metro Trains, and Phillipa Taylor, CEO of Family Business Australia. Together, they discussed the necessity of strategy and debate within even the smallest of organisations and agreed that Emotional Intelligence is a very effective tool to positively manage all personalities and circumstances that a business may encounter.

Phillipa commended event organisers and sponsors on the content and participative nature of the seminar. She noted the exceptionally high level of peer learning that she had observed during morning and how invaluable that was for all that were involved.

Keynote speaker Margot Spalding, co-owner and co-director of Jimmy Possum Furniture, discussed how she has overcome tragedy to develop an emotionally intelligent organisation based around a culture of acceptance, learning and development. Jimmy Possum has implemented Emotional Intelligence awareness and training programs with great success over the years.