Your Leadership GPS is Calling. Are You Listening?

Emotional intelligence is like a built-in GPS (Global Positioning System). It advises you when you veer off course, suggests U-turns, and guides you to the one, true destination we all share.... happiness!

Your emotions are a tool that was factory-installed at birth. You rarely hear about emotions in the workplace and yet they are behind every decision we make. Think of the times you said “yes” when you meant “no” or acted out of integrity for fear of judgment from your boss or competition you perceived exists with co-workers or in job search.

What if I told you that you can improve the way you lead yourself and others by recognizing and paying attention to the signals your emotional guidance system is sending?  Read on for some good news!

Emotional intelligence is a set of emotional and social skills that influences how you:

• Perceive your Self which includes self-confidence and sense of purpose
• Express your desires and beliefs to others appropriately and assertively
• Create and sustain relationships where you read other’s cues, act with empathy and take responsibility for your words and actions and
• Make decisions and manage your emotions to reduce stress, increase optimism and be more resilient.

There’s good news!

In studies that compared leaders with the same IQ and technical skill, emotional intelligence was a greater indicator of success by 2:1. Also, unlike IQ, you can raise your emotional intelligence functioning through increased self-awareness and simply noticing your thoughts and emotions.

Scientifically, our emotions are activated in our "emotional brain" and are recognized and acted on before our thinking brain can add reasoning. Our prehistoric ancestors relied on this fight or flight mechanism to save them from predators. Modern man is not typically faced with deciding what to do when faced by a big grizzly bear, yet our minds are still hard-wired this way. This can lead to emotional hijacking. Think of a time you reacted rather than pausing and responding consciously. Perhaps when you got mad in a team meeting because of something someone said or a time you misread an email and replied in anger before thinking.

Start today! You can start boosting your emotional intelligence by realizing you have an owner’s manual for your “equipment!” Start by observing, learning and anticipating how you operate in various circumstances. You can improve your functioning, prevent overheating and crashes, avoid repairs and troubleshoot your equipment if you have a system failure! Imagine you have gauges in your body that measure these four P.I.E.S. levels; Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Spiritual. If you deplete one of these systems, plan a way to replenish it. By increasing awareness, paying attention and taking good care of yourself, you can make a positive impact on your relationship with yourself and others.