We all want to be successful. Many of us set goals around becoming great, successful leaders.We are all looking for the steps, strategies and or formulas that fit us best. The industry is filled with authors, speakers, coaches and other professionals that speak of secrets to success. Not to mention the tapes audio and Internet resources available. Success in the business and the world globally looks to a new and different type of leadership. Leadership that blends knowledge (IQ) with Emotional Intelligence Quota (EQ)
Daniel Goleman is a leader in the field of EQ. I have studied and written research papers supporting Goldman's EQ concept. I believe in it. I use it in my classroom and coaching. My clients-student and adults alike especially my clients in the business world globally have made positive transforms and reached new levels of success by incorporating Emotional Intelligence Training into their Coaching.
Daniel Goleman brilliantly states the concept in his book Primal Leadership "Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions. No matter what leaders set out to do--whether it's creating strategy or mobilizing teams to action--their success depends on how they do it.
Even if they get everything else just right, if leaders fail in this primal task of driving emotions in the right direction, nothing they do will work as well as it could or should. That's a very powerful but true statement. Research supports Goleman's work and EQ philosophy.
What is Emotional Intelligence or EQ?
The term EQ encompasses the following five characteristics and abilities:
1.Self-awareness--knowing your emotions, recognizing feelings as they occur, and discriminating between them
2.Mood management--handling feelings so they are relevant to the current situation and you react appropriately
3.Self-motivation--"gathering up" your feelings and directing yourself towards a goal, despite self-doubt, inertia, and impulsiveness
4.Empathy--recognizing feelings in others and tuning into their verbal and nonverbal cues
5.Managing relationships--handling interpersonal interaction, conflict resolution, and negotiations
Why do we need Emotional Intelligence?
Research in brain-based learning suggests that emotional health is fundamental to effective learning. According to a report from the National Center for Clinical Infant Programs, the most critical element for a student's success in school is an understanding of how to learn from "Emotional Intelligence" by Daniel Goleman. The key ingredients for this understanding are:
Confidence
Curiosity
Intentionality
Self-control
Relatedness
Capacity to communicate
Ability to cooperate
These traits are all aspects of Emotional Intelligence. Traits that are key in personal and professional development and becoming successful. Basically, a student who learns to learn is much more apt to succeed. Emotional Intelligence has proven a better predictor of future success than traditional methods like the GPA, IQ, and standardized test scores.
In recent years, the great interest in Emotional Intelligence on the part of corporations, universities, and schools nationwide. The idea of Emotional Intelligence has inspired research and curriculum development throughout these facilities to improve educational curriculum and incorporate these principles into every day learning for students. I became very interested in Goleman's work back in 2000.along with the work of Howard Gardner and his Theory of "Multiple Intelligence" as a tool for providing success. Which I will discuss later in this article.
Building one's Emotional Intelligence has a lifelong impact. Many parents and educators, alarmed by increasing levels of conflict in young schoolchildren--from low self-esteem to early drug and alcohol use to depression, are rushing to teach students the skills necessary for Emotional Intelligence. And in corporations, the inclusion of Emotional Intelligence in training programs has helped employees cooperate better and motivate more, thereby increasing productivity and profits, Researchers have concluded that people who manage their own feelings well and deal effectively with others are more likely to live content lives. Plus, happy people are more apt to retain information and do so more effectively than dissatisfied people.
As you can see EQ is more than a smile and an encouraging word, its a set of abilities that distinguish star performers from average leaders, the absence of which derails careers. As stated by Daniel Goleman in his book Emotional Intelligence and Primal Leadership, and The Center for Creative Leadership. The good news is that unlike IQ, your emotional intelligence, or EQ, can be developed.
What's the payoff for EQ Training?
There are many leadership training programs where you can learn the strategies and tactics of leaders or "What to do" There are fewer where you can learn "How to be!
Will you be more effective as a leader if you develop excellent interpersonal skills by developing your EQ?
Of course, But the big payoff comes from your ability to use EQ to unlock, discover and liberate the most authentically powerful and creative leader within you! In today's world successful leaders know how to sense, understand and use emotions to improve decision making, performance and overall quality of life.
What are some of the organizations that use EQ?
Many organizations like Allstate Insurance, All-American Homes, Blue Cross/Blue Shield, Eli Lilly, Northrop Aviation, Social Security Administration, US Dept of Labor, the US Postal Service are providing EQ training to their employees with great success. Individuals in these organizations have increased their personal effectiveness by creating and taking part in productive working relationships.
Goleman hits the nail on the head in these quotes:
"IQ and technical skills are important, but emotional intelligence is the sine qua non of leadership. When I compared star performers with average ones in senior leadership positions, nearly 90% of the difference in their profiles was attributable to emotional intelligence factors rather than cognitive abilities." Daniel Goleman
"Emotional Intelligence is a master aptitude, a capacity that profoundly affects all other abilities"- ."Daniel Goleman
What is Multiple Intelligence and how does it affect my success?
The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on I.Q. testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes eight different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are
o Linguistic intelligence ("word smart")
o Logical-mathematical intelligence ("number/reasoning smart")Logical
o Spatial intelligence ("picture smart")
o Bodily-Kinesthetic intelligence ("body smart")
o Musical intelligence ("music smart")
o Interpersonal intelligence ("people smart")
o Intrapersonal intelligence ("self smart")
o Naturalist intelligence ("nature smart")
The basic theory states we all have 8 intelligences. That's amazing! Some are stronger than others in us. We learn best through activities geared towards our MI strengths. I use the work of Goleman and Gardner in my classroom and in my Coaching practice. The results are amazing and life transforming. The success I see in my clients and students is nothing but positive. Combining EQ and MI provides individuals with a sense of "wholeness" that adds balance to their life and puts them on a road to success personally and professionally.
The learning that takes place using EQ and MI is "learning that is meaningful, necessary and lasts"
What implications does MI have for adults and career success?
The theory of multiple intelligences also has strong implications for adult learning and development. Many adults find themselves in jobs that do not make optimal use of their most highly developed intelligences (for example, the highly bodily-kinesthetic individual who is stuck in a linguistic or logical desk-job when he or she would be much happier in a job where they could move around, such as a recreational leader, or physical therapist). The theory of multiple intelligences gives adults a whole new way to look at their lives, examining potentials that they left behind in their childhood (such as a love for art or drama) but now have the opportunity to develop through courses, hobbies, or other programs of self-development.
Here are 3 actions steps to help you put these ideas into action
1. Evaluate your management style. Determine if EQ training or Coaching can improve your performance and afford you greater opportunities for success. If the answer is yes, contact me carolgcoach@aol.coom for a complimentary session to discuss your options.
2. Use the Multiple Intelligence Theory to help you decide the following
o Are you in a career that you are suited for
o Does your career bring out the best
o Are you reaching your full potential
o Can you honestly say you love what you do?.
If the answer is no to one, some or all of these. contact me for a complimentary session to discuss the possibilities for having a career you love and can succeed at. We all can have a life we love and want if we act on it!
3. Contact me to learn more about how Coaching can help you set meaningful goals to achieve the success you are looking for. carolgcoach@aol.com Sign up for a free consultation.
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