ASCP Skin Deep

MARCH | APRIL 2015

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Create your free business website! www.ascpskincare.com 41 Susanne Schmaling, director of education for Associated Skin Care Professionals, is a licensed esthetician, experienced educator, former spa owner, founder of the Pacific Institute of Esthetics, author of A Comprehensive Guide to Equipment (Milady, 2009) and Aging Skin (Milady, 2011), and contributor to Standard Makeup (Milady, 2013). Contact her at sschmaling@ascpskincare.com. • Empathy: Understanding where our clients are coming from, how they are feeling, and what they need is one of the most important skills an esthetician can have. It is a skill set that we as a profession generally excel at, but there is always room for improvement. If you aren't empathetic, you won't last long as an esthetician. • Social Skills: Obviously important for client relationships, your ability to work well in a team environment is also vital if you have coworkers. Even if you are a solo practitioner, you need social support and interaction. This is one area that is a challenge for many people, and offers a lot of opportunity for growth. Poor social skills can cause you and your clients undue stress. • Motivation: If you are self-employed, your motivation to succeed must be high. If you're working for someone, your motivation will make the difference between mediocre performance and standing out as a master esthetician. How to Improve Your EQ First, determine your strengths and weaknesses. This can be a challenging exercise, but is well worth it. Most of us have a general idea when some parts of our behavior aren't working, and, let's face it: we're human. The second step is setting a realistic goal for working on the areas you have determined need improvement. A vast array of EI resources is available on the Internet, as this subject is quite popular in education and in the business world (some companies even hire based on candidates' EQ scores). Try the following tools to get started. • Determine your EQ level: http:// psychology.about.com/library/quiz/ bl_eq_quiz.htm • Identify what areas to work on: www. proprofs.com/quiz-school/story. php?title=how-selfaware-are-you • Learn how well you read other people: http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/ei_quiz • Create your learning plan: www. mindtools.com/pages/article/ newCDV_59.htm The third step is to practice, practice, and practice some more. Realize and accept that you will likely slide back to your old behavior now and then—when that happens, simply get back on track as soon as you can. You will find that change comes in subtle ways, and it will not happen overnight. But keep at it, and you will eventually find increased satisfaction in many areas of your professional and personal life. Notes 1. Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 1996). Hands-On Skills: Read this article online at www.ascpskindeepdigital.com for a video lesson on a comfortable deep- cleansing technique.

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