Sensitivity Chip

It's commonly known that shortly after Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt divorced, she was quoted as saying Brad lacked a sensitivity chip. It's also commonly known that studies are showing that Emotional Intelligence (aka sensitivity chip) is growing in importance to success. Daniel Pink has a new book out all about the right side of the brain, and EQ has been talked about for decades (if not longer.)

My question is, if these are considered factors for success, why does it seem that people's sensitivity chips tend to wear down, break down or just disappear as they progress in life. Be it progressing in corporate America, just aging in general, or as you meet success. I'm struggling right now because I tend to think that once people hit a certain level in the professional world their sensitivity chips malfunction. This fear is so great that I am hesitant myself to continue to aspire to greater levels of success.

The only thing worse than thinking I've hit my plateau is thinking that I will loose all realms of common sense when it comes to EQ and sensitivity. I'd like to think I could defy these odds ... but I'm truly scared. People who I've previously respected for their ability to rely on common sense and their connection to people and looking at the whole picture from all angles have lost these abilities once they've moved up another rung on the ladder. It becomes a lot of apologies and excuses. They try to get you to see their side, but they never once considered the story from your angle.

I understand that corporate America is really all about making money, getting ahead, and making your stockholders happy ... but you don't have a happy and engaged workforce ... how will you continue your success? I think it's easy right now to say that no one would leave and it's easy to replace you if you do ... but this is how reputations get built. Eventually, someone will begin to question, secrets will get out, your workforce will dwindle and you'll have to start from scratch. Who knows, perhaps you'll get an even better, stronger workforce, but if you're not careful ... your success could die.

If you google engagement and the workforce, you'll find lots of articles that talk about the importance of engagement and how it will create bigger profits for companies in the end. The problem right now is ... engagement counts as a paycheck. People are grateful that they just have jobs. If corporate America doesn't start treating it's employees better, I'm afraid that the rest of the world will truly surpass us and everything great we once stood for will falter.