Monthly Archives: June 2014

9 Things Emotionally Intelligent People Won’t Do

In his article, 9 Things that Emotionally Intelligent People Won’t Do, author Travis Bradberry outlines behaviors and practices that Emotionally Intelligent people stay clear of that allows them to lead happier and healthier lives.  This is part 1 of 2, stay tuned!

The trick is that managing your emotions is as much about what you won’t do as it is about what you will do. TalentSmart has tested more than a million people, so I went back to the data to uncover the kinds of things that emotionally intelligent people are careful to avoid in order to keep themselves calm, content, and in control. They consciously avoid these behaviors because they are tempting and easy to fall into if one isn’t careful.

While the list that follows isn’t exhaustive, it presents nine key things that you can avoid in order to increase your emotional intelligence.

They Won’t Let Anyone Limit Their Joy

When your sense of pleasure and satisfaction are derived from comparing yourself to others, you are no longer the master of your own happiness. When emotionally intelligent people feel good about something that they’ve done, they won’t let anyone’s opinions or accomplishments take that away from them.

While it’s impossible to turn off your reactions to what others think of you, you don’t have to compare yourself to others, and you can always take people’s opinions with a grain of salt. That way, no matter what other people are thinking or doing, your self-worth comes from within. Regardless of what people think of you at any particular moment, one thing is certain—you’re never as good or bad as they say you are.

They Won’t Forget

Emotionally intelligent people are quick to forgive, but that doesn’t mean that they forget. Forgiveness requires letting go of what’s happened so that you can move on. It doesn’t mean you’ll give a wrongdoer another chance. Emotionally intelligent people are unwilling to be bogged down unnecessarily by others’ mistakes, so they let them go quickly and are assertive in protecting themselves from future harm.

They Won’t Die in the Fight

Emotionally intelligent people know how important it is to live to fight another day. In conflict, unchecked emotion makes you dig your heels in and fight the kind of battle that can leave you severely damaged. When you read and respond to your emotions, you’re able to choose your battles wisely and only stand your ground when the time is right.

They Won’t Prioritize Perfection

Emotionally intelligent people won’t set perfection as their target because they know it doesn’t exist. Human beings, by our very nature, are fallible. When perfection is your goal, you’re always left with a nagging sense of failure, and you end up spending your time lamenting what you failed to accomplish and what you should have done differently instead of enjoying what you were able to achieve.

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The role of Empathy in the Workplace

“People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”  -Maya Angelou

Understanding Empathy and the role it plays in the workplace is not easy…it’s often a misinterpreted term to begin with.  People may think that it involves “understanding” how others feel but the understanding is an intellectual function.  Empathy involves emotion or feeling.  It is about relating to another’s situation through feeling their pain or frustration.  The ability to empathize with others is the ability to relate to them and relationships exist in our lives both personally and professionally.

Empathy in Corporate America is a rare occurrence to say the least.  We are driven by the bottom line and by intellect.  However, Empathy can lead the way back to honoring the human component of emotion in the workplace.  It serves to connect people and to establish support and teamwork.  As a manager or leader in your organization, be a model of wholeness for your team.  When your workplace environment is emotionally sterile, it actually costs the company in by-products such as poor performance, poor retention, burnout and absenteeism.  While Empathy will not correct all of these issues, it can go a long way toward uniting people and when people feel connected, they tend to work happier and harder.

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https://boldnewdirections.com

Personality tests and performance

Wonder how a Personality test will help improve commincation?  The DISC is a great tool for understand your own behavior style and how you relate to others…Take a look and see where you fit:

What do the letters mean?

D Dominance
Person places emphasis on accomplishing results, the bottom line, confidence		 Behaviors
– Sees the big picture
– Can be blunt
– Accepts challenges
– Gets straight to the point
Learn more
 
I Influence
Person places emphasis on influencing or persuading others, openness, relationships		 Behaviors
– Shows enthusiasm
– Is optimistic
– Likes to collaborate
– Dislikes being ignored
Learn more
 
S Steadiness
Person places emphasis on cooperation, sincerity, dependability		 Behaviors
– Doesn’t like to be rushed
– Calm manner
– Calm approach
– Supportive actions
– Humility
Learn more
 
C Conscientiousness
Person places emphasis on quality and accuracy, expertise, competency		 Behaviors
– Enjoys independence
– Objective reasoning
– Wants the details
– Fears being wrong
Learn more
 

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https://boldnewdirections.com

Finding your inner courage

Courage is defined as the inner strength needed to overcome fear.  Those fears need not be overwhelming in order to summon courage and brave a new task or face an uncomfortable situation.  Many us of have fears that prevent us from doing our best work…perhaps it’s fear of talking on the phone or public speaking, both of which may be required of your position at work.  How then do we battle our fears and ultimately overcome them?  Growing your courage factor is like expanding anything else about your physical or emotional being.  It takes a willingness to be vulnerable and plenty of practice!  Ask yourself the following questions regarding Courage and then you will be able to map out an action plan:

  • What do I fear?

  • Why do I fear it?

  • When am I courageous these days?

  • What ingredients within me contribute to my courage?

  • What actions do I now take that reflect courage?

  • Where else can I use these actions?

  • What do I gain by being courageous?

  • What else do I want to be courageous about?

Begin to map out the incremental steps you will take to face this fear.  Write them down!  Make the coming journey very familiar before you step onto the path.  Create a timeline for these steps…allow yourself to feel emotional and find the balance within.  Celebrate small victories; this reinforces your courage and helps you live expansively!

Put your actions into play both at work and at home… you will find that connecting with your inner courage allows you to envision promotions, set lofty goals and think bigger than you ever have…

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No Excuses

No Excuses

6 tricks for jumping off the excuse train and forging the path to your goals.

Article Author: 
Staff

Great people throughout history often fail, quite miserably, before finally reaching their goals, says international business strategist Dan Waldschmidt, author of “Edgy Conversations: How Ordinary People Achieve Outrageous Success.”

“Winston Churchill lost every public election until becoming prime minister at age 62; Henry Ford went bankrupt five times; Albert Einstein was expelled from school; Sigmund Freud was booed from a stage,” notes Waldschmidt.

“Ideas, brilliance, genius—they all mean nothing without the guts, passion, and tenacity necessary to make your dream a reality. But often, people fall back on excuses and give up on trying to reach their goals.”

Waldschmidt offers six tricks for jumping off the excuse train and forging the path to your goals:

  1. Avoid the need to blame others for anything.
  2. Stop working on things that just don’t matter.
  3. Refuse to let yourself wallow in self-doubt. You’re alive to succeed. Go conquer.
  4. Ask yourself, “What can I do better next time?” And then do it next time.
  5. Proactively take time to do things that fuel your passion.
  6. Apologize to yourself and those around you for having a bad attitude.

Source url :
https://boldnewdirections.com