Lessons from the Academy Awards: How to unlock genius and understand selective outrage? Perhaps there is a connection to emotional intelligence.
What a difference a year can make.?I was reflecting on last night’s Academy Awards where Everything Everywhere All at Once stole the show.?One comment that really struck me was from Daniel Kwan who directed this movie.?After thanking his family and friends he added, “There is greatness in every single person, it doesn’t matter who they are. If you have a genius that is waiting to erupt, you just need to find the right people to unlock that. Thank you so much everyone who has unlocked my genius.”?
As I reflected on this remark, I remember a comment from the late management guru Peter Drucker who shared that great leaders and managers maximize the strengths of people
Whether it is your employee, co-worker, friend or family matter the same notion applies. Are you providing the environment to bring out the best in others. As we know from the Pygmalion Effect, people will live up (or down) to your expectations.?And that concept extends to your own identity and what you expect of yourself.
I was contrasting last night’s award with the event last year when we witnessed what many people considered a shocking and unsettling experience as Will Smith slapped Chris Rock. Although Chris Rock has made brief references to this since the incident last year, it wasn’t until his Netflix special “Selective Outrage” this past week that he publicly addressed it.
I found it interesting that the title of his new show was “selective outrage” as that is a term I’d heard used in the context of tragic acts of terrorism, rapes and other acts of violence. ?My curiosity prompted me to explore the definition of outrage where I found the following: an act of wanton cruelty or violence; any gross violation of law or decency; anything that strongly offends, insults, or affronts the feelings; a powerful feeling of resentment or anger aroused by something perceived as an injury, insult, or injustice.
Perhaps in some cases outrage could also stem from something that happens that is perceived as inappropriate or unbelievable.?So, the idea of selective outrage may be a choice as to what offends us.?And, also it may reflect the degree to which we can empathize with the situation.?After all, to be selectively outraged is to be human.?At the same time, there is wisdom in being able to let go of emotions that no longer serve you.
During his seven-minute set, Chris Rock made numerous jokes about actor Will Smith, while also expressing his previous admiration. Despite the light-hearted tone of his set, it appeared there were still significant underlying emotions from this past incident.?While there was previous debate surrounding who was right or wrong, the slap moment highlighted the importance of emotional intelligence
领英推荐
A low EQ can hijack your life and happiness, both at work and personally. If you lack self-awareness and the ability to manage your emotions
When it comes to ego and needs, I’m reminded of Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs which he introduced in a 1943 paper called "A Theory of Human Motivation." Maslow suggested that people are motivated to fulfill basic needs before higher-level needs and in the process revolutionized the way we think of motivation today. Understanding the importance of emotional intelligence may be one of the keys to understanding Maslow's work. By becoming more aware of your needs, thoughts and behavior patterns, you can respond in more rational and measured ways and avoid reactions that can take control of your life. With a higher EQ, you can be more in tune with your emotions and your environment, allowing you to make better decisions that will benefit both your personal and professional lives.
We recognize that great leaders tend to have higher EQ.?After all to be a great leader you have to lead not only others but also yourself first. So, in addition to asking about how you are unlocking the genius in others may be, perhaps we should start by asking how are you unlocking your own genius first?
To unlock our genius we have to understand ourselves and be able to manage our emotions while understanding others and regulate those emotions too. To understand emotional intelligence, we must understand that our ability to manage our emotions, and recognize emotions in others, will improve our understanding and the reasons behind the decisions that we make.?After all, if you want to get things done it is often through other people, so to be really impactful in our personal and professional lives we have to improve both are intrapersonal and interpersonal skills.
If you’d like to discover how to do both, I invite you to get a complimentary personality report that will provide insights into your strengths, how you make decisions and how to enhance your communications.?Please visit: www.crackmycode.com/communicate