From Life to Lessons – Living & Leading with Emotional Intelligence Conversation and Connection: Own Your Story
“When you work with someone long enough and form a relationship, they become curious: they want to learn more about you. This is not meant to be an invasion of privacy or a hunt for information to use against you later. It is a desire to connect and establish common ground.” Click HERE to purchase […]
From Life to Lessons – Living & Leading with Emotional Intelligence Chapter 3: Hello Vulnerable, Meet Reward
“The inexperience of youth gives us the freedom to ask the hard questions even when the answers are harder to hear. Over time, our concerns about what people will think overshadows the freedom of our youth. We become hesitant to share our truth or ask the hard questions. Our concern produces fear, which causes us to […]
Leverage Your Emotions for Better Problem Solving
The basic premise of emotional intelligence is the better one manages their emotions, the more effective they will be personally and professionally. Managing one’s emotions includes the ability to summons specific emotions to achieve desired outcomes. Consider this fact, positive emotions have been shown to expand the scope of a person’s attention and thinking for enhanced […]
How Controlled Are You? – Impulse Control
Impulse control is the ability to think before acting. Low impulse control is characterized by: The tendency to jump to hasty conclusions An “act now, think later” approach to solving problems and making decisions Being overly talkative or controlling in meetings and conversations Regular moments of regret, perhaps wishing you would have analyzed a situation […]
How Do You Communicate Feelings? – Emotional Expression
Leaders who effectively express their emotions use words and physical expressions to communicate their feelings in a constructive way. This helps to build the authentic relationships that contribute to successful leadership. Consider the leader whose facial expression appears to communicate a particular feeling before he utters a word or the leader whose poker face gives absolutely no indication of […]
What are Your Triggers? – Emotional Self-Awareness
When leaders have a solid understanding of what triggers their emotions they can manage themselves and control the impact their emotions have on others. I once worked for a leader whose emotions could be triggered by something as simple as a question that he did not like. His aggressive and condescending response would silence the room. People became hesitant to ask questions or contribute […]
Leadership Approachability
How would you rate your approachability? As you think about your answer, consider the extent to which others would say that you have an “open door” policy. Visibility and accessibility are components of approachability. People need to know that they can get to you when needed. Transparency, another aspect of approachability builds trust and vulnerability creates […]
To Be or Not To Be Independent – Consider the Implications
In the context of emotional intelligence, being independent means that a leader is capable of feeling, thinking, and working on his/her own. Leaders that exhibit strength in this area welcome or request guidance from others, but usually make the ultimate decision. They also accept responsibility for their decisions and mistakes, and acknowledge that people will […]
The Emotional Aspects of Problem Solving – Balance is Important
Leaders need more than just problem-solving skills, they need to work with problems where emotions are involved and recognize how their emotions impact their decisiveness. Leaders with strong problem solving abilities tackle problems head on without being distracted by their emotions. If this is a strength, you likely approach problem solving with logic and gather […]
Control Your Impulses – Think Before You Act
Impulse Control is the ability to show restraint in the face of impulses and temptations to act. Leaders with high impulse control think before acting, which puts people at ease and promotes a feeling that the leader’s behavior and mood are easily predictable. This results in open and honest communication. Leaders with strong impulse control remain […]
