Behavioral Scale Deep Dive: Low Emotional Support

Emotional Support: The need to be noticed, receive acknowledgement, and obtain a positive reaction from others. 

Do you tend to be independent and self-motivated? Are you often effective in meeting your goals without much encouragement from others? If so, you may be a low scorer in emotional support. Let’s take a look at the behavioral traits of someone with a low emotional support score and what managers can do to best encourage their growth.

Low Emotional Support

Meet Meg. Meg is a confident self-starter and does what she needs to do without needing much encouragement from her peers or supervisors. She has a lot of self-love and doesn't worry too much about what people think about what she's doing or who she is. Her manager can rely on her to get her projects done without having to check in often which works well for Meg. She likes the freedom to work independently and achieve her own results, often working in her own little bubble.

Meg is a good example of someone who likely has a low emotional support score. She:

• Is independent and self-motivated
• Tends to be confident
• Is often effective in meeting her goals
• Does not need much emotional support from others; “a little goes a long way.”

Tips for Managing Low Scorers

Although low scorers in emotional support can be strong, independent employees, at times they can shut people out and come across as uncaring or unsupportive of others. Whether you’re a manager of a high scorer in emotional support or want to learn how to better understand a colleague’s behavior, here are some ideas on how to effectively manage this behavioral trait.

Recommendations for Low Scorers:

• Encourage them to appreciate the value of interdependence, working as a team to more effectively achieve goals.
• Remind them that helping, contribution and support roles motivate many people. If one is “an island” they can alienate others unintentionally.
• Encourage them to practice encouraging and supporting others more in word and action. Because the low scorer in Emotional Support does not need much support or encouragement from others, they may forget to provide these reassurances on a consistent basis.
• Independence, freedom, accomplishment and tangible results motivate the low scorer in Emotional Support.
• Encourage them to say “thank you” and smile genuinely.