14 May Secretly sick of the people in your team?
Leading people in today’s workplace is challenging and at times downright frustrating. Leaders today must be skilled at sensing other people’s emotions, understanding their perspective and taking an active interest in their concerns and wellbeing.
How can you do this?
The answer is surprisingly simple!
It’s all about growing your Emotional Intelligence (EQ). Did you know that 90% of top achievers have a high EQ? This article is all about helping you grow your EQ?
There are four Emotional Intelligence competencies. In my last blog post I outlined strategies to help you with your Self-Awareness and Self-Management. Today I want to focus on the remaining EQ Competencies; Social Awareness and Relationship Skills.
What is SOCIAL AWARENESS?
Being skilled at sensing other people’s emotions, understanding their perspective and taking an active interest in their concerns all contribute strongly to your social awareness. Social Awareness is about growing your skills of empathy. At a group level it’s having the ability to read the climate of your team morale, build decision networks and navigate the politics of your organization. To do this it’s important to employ a service mindset so you are able to recognize and meet other people’s needs.
What is RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT?
Of course, growing your relationship skills is important in all spheres of life. However, in the workplace it’s having the ability to take charge and inspire others with a compelling vision. It’s being competent at promoting and modelling cooperation, collaboration, and team building. It’s about empowering, supporting, and developing others through feedback and guidance. Being able to listen carefully and send clear and convincing messages is paramount. It’s also being proficient in initiating new ideas and leading people in a new direction. And, there are times when having the ability to de-escalate disagreements and orchestrate resolutions help you to develop authentic relationships.
How can you grow your Emotional Intelligence?
Discovering your blind spot is always helpful for new and existing leaders.
Have you ever walked into a room or approached a group of people and suddenly they all go quiet when they see you? You can bet your bottom dollar they are speaking about you. You see, your blind spot is what everyone else knows about you, but you are not aware of at all. It can be tough to try and work on understanding your blindspot on your own, but it is invaluable to grow your emotional intelligence.
Speaking to someone who understands your role, your responsibilities and your challenges can provide you with new insights to understand yourself and offer you strategies to grow your EQ.
If this blog post has piqued your interest and you’d like to find out more, you’re in luck!
I’m offering a complimentary conversation to the first 5 people who click this link and I’ll share some EQ strategies I know that will work for you.
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Maxine Driscoll
