Upon Reflection...

What do you do when you’re feeling frustrated, not at your best, having a difficult day at work, etc….and yet, you’re about to facilitate a direct to public, live, virtual training for business leaders called, “EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE IN ACTION: Practical Skills to Foster Workplace EQ”?

Well, let’s just say this hypothetical scenario may have happened to me last week, and here are some of my post-session reflections that helped me still deliver the program with clarity and a tempered mindset. Whether you’re presenting in front of a large group of people, your internal team, or in the home, I hope these reflections can serve as an encouragement for you.

- START WITH SELF: Emotional Intelligence starts with self-awareness. And that understanding can become a gateway to eventual self-management, social awareness and then relationship management. But it all starts with our awareness of self.

- PRACTICE WHAT YOU TEACH: When we’re facing challenges and not feeling our best, it’s a great opportunity to take a deep breath, review the curriculum (or agenda), give ourselves some grace and most importantly, put our values into practice.

- KEEP IT SIMPLE: Your team (or audience) is starving for simple, proven, actionable techniques they can apply to build awareness, empathy, and connection with their colleagues.

- LAUGH WITH: It’s okay to invite joy, levity and positive, uplifting humor into these trainings. In fact, it can be a game changer for the facilitator and the audience when done thoughtfully and purposefully.

- BE REAL: Your team (or audience) appreciates authenticity and vulnerability from their leaders, as long as it’s done with…wait for it…emotional intelligence!

Let’s work together, share best practices and give ourselves and our colleagues some grace. Upon reflection… it’s the emotionally intelligent thing to do!

Game On.