Emotional IQ: What do you know about it?
Sarah Fargo O'Brien, LCSW
2X CEO/Founder. Bestselling author. Chief Mental Health Officer. Trauma-Informed Consultant , Coach, & Licensed Psychotherapist. Subject Matter Expert & Leadership Strategist. Marquis Who's Who Honored Listee 2024-2025 |
But First! ????
*Special Announcement + Call to Action!
Yours truly has reached a professional milestone!
And I wanted to share it with you :)
I had the privilege of joining some amazing people to share our BULLIED stories in the flagship edition of the new anthology series: Bullied- How I Got By
?And I need a little help from my friends to promote this book for me and all of the other brave authors!
?The book will be available for FREE DOWNLOAD for a few days. It would best to grab it on day one! August 1st!
?See other pertinent details below! Thank you for your amazing support for this topic and the much needed awareness and advocacy around BULLYING.
Check out @officialrattledawake.com for how to download it
What?
When?
Shout out to my CO-AUTHORS! You will be incredibly moved by their stories.
Trine Lise Sandblom Irdenstam + her spouse Vidar
Now, back to your regularly scheduled Timeless Therapist Newsletter program! Thank you for viewing the announcement!
If you think you don't need to know much about emotions...well, you're wrong!
Better said: YOU'RE MISINFORMED! Let's learn a little something...
1) Entrepreneurs + Emotion IQ
2) Leaders + Emotion IQ
3) Everyone + Emotion IQ
?4) General Emotion IQ Info
WHAT EXACTLY IS EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE?
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to identify and manage one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others. Emotional intelligence is generally said to include a few skills: namely emotional awareness, or the ability to identify and name one’s own emotions; the ability to harness those emotions and apply them to tasks like thinking and problem solving; and the ability to manage emotions, which includes both regulating one’s own emotions when necessary and helping others to do the same.
In this month's issue there is something for everyone!
I'll discuss:
Some research suggests there are 4 main components to Emotional Intelligence: Perceiving, Reasoning, Understanding, Managing.
Perceiving Emotions
We must perceive them accurately. In many cases, this involves understanding nonverbal signals such as?body language?and facial expressions, in others. For ourselves, it's learning to identify and name the emotions we experience based on our own mind & body cues. If you are able to name the emotion you are feeling, you have a better chance of understanding what you are feeling.
Reasoning with Emotions
Using emotions to promote thinking and cognitive activity. Emotions help prioritize what we pay attention and react to; we respond emotionally to things that grab our attention. We have to evaluate the reasoning we make with emotions, sometimes letting emotions lead does not serve well. Other times, reasoning with emotions can help us better manage stress.
Understanding Emotions
Emotions that we perceive can carry a variety of meanings. If someone is expressing angry emotions, the observer must interpret the cause of the person's anger and what it could mean. For example, if your boss is acting angry, it might mean that they are dissatisfied with your work, or it could be because they got a speeding ticket on their way to work or that they've been fighting with their partner.
Managing Emotions
Ability to manage emotions effectively?is a crucial part of emotional intelligence and the highest level. Regulating emotions and responding appropriately for yourself, as well as, responding to the emotions of others are all important aspects of emotional management. You can also learn to better regulate your emotions just by stopping and thinking before you act and become judgmental.
Some other research expands and refines by citing 5 key elements to defining Emotional Intelligence: Self-Awareness, Self-Regulation, Motivation, Empathy, Social Skills.
How these 5 Key Elements contribute to Entrepreneur Success
But, first, let's take a closer look at each element:
Self-Awareness
Folks understand their emotions, and because of this, they don't let their feelings rule them. They're willing to take an honest look at themselves. They know their strengths and weaknesses, and they work on these areas so they can perform better. Many people believe that self-awareness is the most important part of emotional intelligence...I tend to agree.
Self-Regulation
This is the ability to control emotions and impulses. People who self-regulate typically don't allow themselves to become too angry or jealous, and they don't make impulsive, careless decisions. They think before they act. Characteristics of self-regulation are thoughtfulness, comfort with change, integrity, and the ability to say no.
Motivation
People with a high degree of emotional intelligence are usually motivated. They're willing to defer immediate results for long-term success. They're highly productive, love a challenge, and are very effective in whatever they do.
Empathy
This is perhaps the second-most important element of emotional intelligence. Empathy is the ability to identify with and understand the wants, needs, and viewpoints of those around you. People with empathy are good at recognizing the feelings of others, even when those feelings may not be obvious. As a result, empathetic people are usually excellent at managing relationships, listening, and relating to others. They avoid stereotyping and judging too quickly, and they live their lives in a very open, honest way.
?Social Skills
Another sign of high emotional IQ. Those w/ strong social skills are typically team players. Rather than focus on their own success first, they help others develop & shine. They can manage disputes, are excellent communicators, and are masters at building & maintaining relationships.
The spirit of innovation and risk-taking that underpins entrepreneurial development means that it is inherently a complex emotional journey. So, emotional intelligence is crucial for entrepreneurs. Emotionally intelligent entrepreneurs navigate their ventures with passion and inner drive. By mindfully applying emotional intelligence, they can significantly improve their decision-making processes.
领英推荐
5 Key Ways Developing a High Emotional Intelligence will serve you and your success as an Entrepreneur:
1) Entrepreneurs with high emotional intelligence are better equipped to manage stress and pressure, both in themselves and in their teams.
?2) Entrepreneurship is all about building relationships, whether it’s with customers, investors, or team members & Emotional IQ is crucial for building and maintaining these relationships.
?3) Entrepreneurs with high emotional intelligence are skilled communicators who can connect with people on a deeper level, build trust, and foster a sense of community.
?4) Entrepreneurs with high emotional intelligence are also more adaptable, which means they can make quick and effective decisions in response to changing circumstances.
?5) Enabling entrepreneurs to think creatively, take calculated risks, and learn from failure. Entrepreneurs with high emotional intelligence are more resilient and adaptable, which means they can pivot their business strategy in response to changing market conditions, customer needs, or other factors. (like, going from in-person to virtual overnight when the pandemic hit in 2020).
Final word on Emotional IQ + Entrepreneurship
As the workplace evolves, so too does the body of research supporting that individuals (from interns to managers) with higher emotional intelligence are better equipped to work cohesively within teams, deal with change more effectively, and manage stress more effectively – therefore, enabling them to more efficiently pursue business objectives.
Okay, you're still with me right? Great! Let's keep learning!
Now, Emotional Intelligence + Leadership...
Unlike one’s intelligence quotient (IQ), these categorical (emotional intelligence) skills can be learned where absent and improved upon where present...with PRACTICE!
?So, unlike its relatively fixed cousin, regular IQ, Emotional IQ is instead a dynamic aspect of one’s psyche and includes behavioral traits that, when worked upon, can yield significant benefits, from personal happiness and wellbeing to elevated success in a professional context.
To be effective, leaders must have a solid understanding of how their emotions and actions affect the people around them. The better a leader relates to & works with others, the more successful they will be. Being an emotionally intelligent leader means you will be able to coach teams, manage stress, deliver feedback, and collaborate with others more effectively. EI is the new way of leading...and it works better!
MYTH #1: IQ is better than Emotional Intelligence
1) IQ (intelligence quotient) vs EI (emotional intelligence)
It is not simply a case of IQ versus EI, instead, both have considerable value. Where IQ tells us the level of cognitive complexity a person can achieve and may, to some degree, predetermine levels of academic achievement, EI tells us which individuals will make the best leaders within top management positions, for example. IQ has limited connections to both work and life success. It has been suggested that it is actually less of a predictor of how well we will do in life than our ability to handle frustration, control emotions, and get along with other people (a.k.a. EI). Research has determined IQ contributes to only 20% of the factors that determine life success.
MYTH #2: Typical top-down management is best
2) The link between EI and job performance
The workplace represents a distinct social community, separate from our personal lives, in which there is a growing appreciation that higher EI allows a person to understand themselves and others better, communicate more effectively, and cope with challenging situations. EI is about managing emotions in order to improve job performance and, in turn, helping people stay calm and to think logically in order to establish good relationships and achieve goals. There is an undeniable relationship between EI and the way senior executives manage their employees – managers/leaders with higher emotional intelligence have the tools at their disposal to not only manage stress but to also recognize & address stress in others, more effectively & with empathy...which employees prefer.
MYTH #3: Incentives work best for motivating
3) EI is actually a better motivator for employees
An Emotionally Intelligent individual not only possesses the skills for self-motivation but also the skills required to motivate others, a useful skill to have, especially in management positions. While self-motivation is central to achieving one’s own goals, emotionally intelligent leaders within a business can also impact employee motivation. The capacity to recognize the emotions and, in turn, the concerns of others is an invaluable skill to have in terms of realizing the most effective ways to motivate teams and individuals. A study of senior managers with high EI employed in public sector organizations found that EI augments positive work attitudes, altruistic behavior, and work outcomes (which includes bottom line). It seems, unsurprisingly, that happy employees are motivated employees. Yea, duh. Sorry, not sorry. :)
MYTH #4: Leaders always make great decisions
4) EI helps manage the feelings to make a more objective decision
EI impacts on more than how we manage our behavior and navigate social complexities, it also affects how we make decisions. Having an authentic understanding of the emotions we feel and why we are feeling them can have a huge impact on our decision-making abilities, if we can’t look at our emotions objectively how can we avoid making misguided decisions based on them? Superior emotional intelligence is an important element in the prevention of decision making based on emotional biases, whereas lower EI can create anxiety and lead to poor decisions. It’s not about removing emotions completely from the decision-making process, rather it’s about recognizing the emotions that are unrelated to the problem and not allowing them to be influential to the final result. EI training is an effective strategy to introduce when developing decision-making skills and aids in understanding the potential consequences of bad decision making.
PHEW! YOU MADE IT!
That was a lot of information. I hope you learned something new! I hope you employ something new you learned. If you are a leader, I expect you to practice!
If you want/need a community to practice with, I can recommend 2!
1) Integrate Trauma Informed Network (requires vetting application)
2) Trauma Informed Learning Studio (requires membership fee)
HAPPY PRACTICING! I'LL SEE YOU THERE! :)
Okay, I have to discuss TRAUMA INFORMED LEADERSHIP in the context of EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE...
Basically, they go hand-in-hand. Period.
Ultimately, a Trauma Informed Leader is a Highly Emotional Intelligent Leader. Some of the main pillars to any trauma informed anything are effective decision-making skills, effective human-centered communication skills, and social impact. You can't be trauma informed if you are not emotionally intelligent. You can't be trauma informed if you are not self-aware. You can't be trauma informed if you are not empathetic. You can't be a good leader if you are not trauma informed, at least my stance. Many of my colleagues would agree!
What do I know? & How can I help?
I am a Dynamic Trauma Informed Professional
And I'm at your service :)
I have the training, the community, and the self-awareness about doing my own work ongoing to be an effective Trauma Informed Leader, and I can help you do the same. If you want to be on the foundational edge of a new wave of leadership, then schedule your free consult call and let's learn and grow together...to make a trauma informed future...for all of us.
Do you embody the skills and practices of Trauma Informed Leadership?
Leadership today barely has any checks & balances. There's no accountability for poor decision-making...or the negative impact those decisions may have on the people they lead.
?If you want to be inclusive...be accepting...reduce harm...and maintain, or increase, productivity, then Trauma Informed Leadership is for you. Schedule a discovery call!?
You can get started on your TI leadership journey with my self-led learning guide for leaders who want to grow in these skills. Click the link here to learn more + purchase!
I am also very passionate about Compassionate Self Care, especially for mental health providers, especially for entrepreneurs and/or private practice owners!
If you want to learn more about Compassionate Self Care, you can access a few options with me.
This month's blog post: How Emotional Intelligence Leads to Greater Success as a Leader and Entrepreneur
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WELCOME TO AUGUST! Make the most of the remaining weeks of summer ??
Country Ambassador of Canada to Land Rights Defenders I seek out 'Justice' for those in need!
7 个月?? ?? ??
Dynamic Transformative Life coach, Focusing on strengths and skills rather than perceived deficits will assist individualists in unleashing their extraordinary confidence through creative transformation./ NASM CPT
7 个月Progress. So glad to be in the anthology with you and all the other co-authors. This is such an important topic.
So excited for you, Sarah O'Brien, LCSW, LCSW-C
Marketing Director @ WORLD SYSTEM BUILDER -TRANSAMERICA. Financial information Facilitator.
7 个月Looks great!
2X CEO/Founder. Bestselling author. Chief Mental Health Officer. Trauma-Informed Consultant , Coach, & Licensed Psychotherapist. Subject Matter Expert & Leadership Strategist. Marquis Who's Who Honored Listee 2024-2025 |
7 个月Hounds Of Business Community Circle Of Friends Club Integrate Trauma Informed Network HR-4U INC. Check it out! Give it a like! I appreciate you ALL! ??