As the worldwide workplace continues to diversify, our understanding of the essential qualities that make successful leaders tick only goes deeper. People with a high emotional quotient, or ‘EQ’ benefit from a number of very unique advantages. Rather than being all about a head-first, top-down management style, different companies are each finding their own leadership solutions, and employing a wider range of skill sets in these roles. And while experience, education and authority still play a role in every leader’s repertoire, we are learning to give more credence to aspects of emotional intelligence that affect the way leaders do their jobs. Here are just a few advantages:

Accepting differences

The ability to relate to others means a leader is more able to play to their individual team members’ strengths. Rather than forcing workers to conform to pre-existing roles, a flexible leader with a high EQ will understand how to best use the tools they have at their disposal. Also, having the flexibility to work with anyone in any situation should be an indispensable trait that all leaders have.

Excellent motivators

A boosted emotional intelligence lets the best leaders push team members past their limitations and offer an extra bit of motivation. This creates more efficient and directed work, but also instills a more healthy corporate culture. Before you know it, the infectious enthusiasm of your high-EQ leaders will spread across the entire workplace.

Always mindful

Leaders who put their subordinate’s needs before their own are great at keeping their team working at their fullest potential. Targeted feedback offered on a consistent basis keeps priorities straight, and timely responses to any inquiries or requests keeps workers happy. In time, a well-tended to corporate environment will create an atmosphere of trust, and a more developed network of communication.

Accountable

Those who benefit from a higher EQ know that a leadership position does not place them above their coworkers. Keeping oneself accountable to the rest of the team will encourage others to follow suit and help drive a self-directed workplace. It is no secret that reliability and consistency are the best way to earn long lasting respect.

 

How is your EQ? Find out Today! 

Emotional Intelligence: The Engine That Powers Your Future

My late and often lamented friend, Gridley Harriss, was a wealth of pointed platitudes ready to shed light on virtually any topic. One of his favorites, and he shared it often, was,

Your attitude determines your altitude.

There’s a lot of life defining truth contained in those five words.

Henry Ford, another man of well-chosen words, put it this way,

Whether you believe you can or you can’t, you are probably right.

Are you a prisoner or the master of your attitudes?

One way or another, your attitudes are pushing you, either forward towards endless possibilities or backward into the prison of self-doubt and victimhood. Which way are your attitudes pushing you? You can choose, you know?
Attitudes are the initial step in translating our emotions into thought first, then action. Positive attitudes propel us, while negative attitudes not only slow us down, they shorten our lives. With strong emotional intelligence we can control them.
Most people when asked to define emotional intelligence, either have never heard of it or aren’t quite sure what it means. The fact is, the further you progress in life both professionally and personally, the more important emotional intelligence becomes. Research shows that ultimately emotional intelligence is more important than intellectual intelligence in achieving maximum success. So what is this thing called emotional intelligence anyway?

Emotional intelligence measures individual ability to empower success in life by understanding and controlling the emotions of self and others through self-awareness, self-control, social awareness, relationship management, empathy and self-confidence.

Unfortunately, most of our focus is on intellectual intelligence, IQ, and emotional intelligence, EQ, is left virtually unnoticed. Research into what makes people successful strongly suggests that this is a mistake of epic proportions. A look at the lives of highly successful people clearly indicates that factual knowledge is far from enough. Even more important than what you know is how effectively you share that knowledge in your relationships. People at the top seldom get there without an emotionally intelligent approach to other people.

Starting even in the womb, our emotions are forming. Each event in our life, no matter how minor, triggers an emotional response. We remember those responses, and if the results seemed satisfactory, we repeat them. Over time, the same or similar events trigger the same or similar emotional responses until that emotional response becomes our standard operating procedure. Many times that is a good thing, but far too often it isn’t. When our emotions hold us back, it’s time to understand them and learn to control them. Emotions consume energy, and negative emotions consume by far the most. Why spend your energy on things that are not only getting you know where but actually forcing you backward?
I don’t like the word no. Oh, I don’t mind using it, I just don’t like hearing it. Given as an answer to something I very much want to do, some form of anger is a well-established first response. Each “no” I hear is a wall that must be torn down! Let me give you an example.

My wife, Janet, and I enjoy eating out with our friends George and Linda. Late last week we introduced them to a restaurant we both enjoy. We ordered, then waited…waited…and waited some more.
Slow service, combined with meaningless excuses, is a form of “no” I detest, particularly when it hampers my ability to impress someone. Possibly because I’ve been a teacher at various times in my life, the need to educate the service provider often overpowers me. After years of embarrassing confrontations, I’m almost in control, almost, but not that day. Both the server and the manager got a carefully worded lecture on the benefits of good service.
By the way, the food was good when it came. We enjoyed our meal. I apologize to the server, and complemented her to the manager. Furthermore, she got a large tip. Giving in to negative emotions can be expensive. Let’s analyze the situation.
Deeply embedded in this “no” experience was damage to my self-esteem. My reputation was at stake with George and Linda, and in my eyes, I wasn’t looking good. Something had to be done put myself back on top. Hence, the lectures.
I really don’t like myself very much when I act that way. To make matters worse, those with me often wish they were at another table, though the 50% discount on our meals was appreciated. Consequently, understanding the source of that emotion is the first step towards controlling it.
Digging that deep has taken time, but I’ve come to understand the cause. Because I understand the cause, certain childhood experiences that I interpreted negatively, I’m able to recognize the signs and usually prevent a negative emotional response.

So what emotions are holding you back today?

Don’t let them. You were designed to succeed. Don’t let your emotions and attitudes hold you back. Put a name to your emotion, in my case anger, and figure out its source. Learn to recognize the signs, for me a sense of rising frustration and threat to my self-esteem, and choose a more positive response.
If your potential is weighted down with negative, “I can’t” emotions you can do the following things:

1. Accept responsibility for your life and the need for action.

2. Identify the repressive emotion and battle it with an opposite response. For example, when I feel my frustration rising, signaling an embarrassing confrontation, I can say, “It’s not like me to act that way.” Simple as it may sound, it works.

3. Develop and post a series of “I can” messages to reinforce a goal you want to achieve. In my case, “I can” exercise patience and understanding when confronted with poor service.

If these suggestions work and you’d like to learn more contact Dale Dale Opt-In

Executive coaching is a service for successful people. Not the other way around.

Some people see coaching as a thing for people who struggle with their career and don’t know what they want. This can sometimes be the case but executive coaching actually helps high performers and successful people. Let me tell you what is the difference with this program and why having an executive coach or women success expert might be the best decision you are about to take.

1. Executive coaching saves time – As a top manager or executive you value time but some of the more important decisions are time-dependent because you need to evaluate the different options ahead of you. You need to decide if the pros are more than the cons and how would that impact your future. And sometimes even the best of us lose too much time trying to find the right answer. If you work with a coach, you will learn how to make those decisions faster and to trust your own intuition.

2. Executive coaching means directing  your efforts – Imagine the typical day – you start working on a really important task and you have to evaluate the options. But you can’t focus as there are way too many things that are interrupting you.  Coaching will give you tools to clarify and prioritize then you can really focused on what is important and not urgent. You might be already ready to take the decision as soon as your coaching meeting starts – just because you gained clarity which leads you to direct your energy toward what will serve you and your organization.

3. Executive coaching means growing smarter – The goal of your executive coach is to ensure you are making conscious decision to lead your career in the direction you want prepared for each transition. The result is that she helps you understand what your next steps need to be and how to overcome some current limitations or roadblocks along the way. Your executive coach is your partner knows and will encourage you to strengthen your own qualities and to identify possible blind spots to grow.

4. Executive coaching is not a sign of weakness – If you ask for help you are not telling the world that you are incapable. You are showing yourself and people around you that you know what are your weaknesses and your strengths, you know how to overcome the small bumps on the road and you are focused on a long term growth.

5. Coaching takes off the pressure – Some people feel they make better decisions under stress. Most of us actually don’t. If you feel a lot of pressure over you regarding taking the right decision, you will be nervous and most probably will be stuck. What coaching does is it takes that pressure of you – sometimes only the fact that there is someone else that might be able to help is enough.

6. Executive business coaching gives you new perspective – You know how a nice conversation with a friend or an expert makes you thrive with new ideas? Well, your coach is better than a friend because it does practice detached involvement and has nothing at stake in your partnership but help you to define success on your own terms.  As an expert, a strategic thinker and a leader – she will use your energy and focus it on finding the great ideas and solutions that already lies within you.