The one thing certain in life, beside death and taxes, is change. Sameness is an illusion. Time changes all of us. Circumstances change us. The economy changes us. Illness and death of loved ones change us.
Life changes us. Change is certain.
We live in certain times.
This isn’t the first time that you faced change in your personal and business life. An unexpected opportunity, an unexpected downturn, we’ve all had them in life.
What’s unusual is that so many people are experiencing change at a high level all at once. And the part that is uncertain is that we don’t know how everyone will react.
The change in the economy rests on how everyone reacts. The future of our country depends on how we all react. The future of industry depends on how everyone reacts.
The one thing that doesn’t depend on everyone is you.
You control how you react.
That is the secret of emotional intelligence. When emotion goes up, reason goes down. We can go out of our minds with joy and celebration. (Usually substances are involved if it’s too much celebration.) And we can go out of our minds with fear and worry.
Trigger fear and you trigger the infamous fight or flight emotion. But remember that these are as a result of fear. If you can control or channel your fear, you don’t trigger the fight or flight reaction. Instead, you can help others control their fear and channel that energy.
In these certain times, you can be a leader.
In his seminal work, Emotional Intelligence explains the four domains of emotional intelligence, self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. When you can control yourself in these areas, you will not only stay sane and rational but you will be able to help others do the same.
Self-Awareness
You must demonstrate self-awareness when you’re conscious of your own feelings and your thoughts about them… Being aware of your own feelings puts you in charge, not your emotions.
Self-Control
Without self-control, (you) will be in grip of an amygdala hijack and at the mercy of (your) feelings. The amygdala, the “fight or flight” section of the brain, responds rapidly to threats, real or perceived. During a hijack, the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for planning and strategizing, loses control.
Social Awareness
As you approach each other, people who are experiencing stress and fear with empathy for their concerns, you will be much more successful in obtaining their help to resolve the crisis. Likewise, if you have a sense of social awareness for all the ways in which this crisis impacts the business, people, and systems involved in correcting the problem, you’ll be much more likely to succeed in handling it without missing something important.
Relationship Marketing
I call relationship management “friendliness with a purpose” the ability, through inspiring others, managing conflicts, fostering teamwork, and other competencies, to moving people in the direction you desire. Each of these competencies requires self-awareness, self-control, and social awareness.
Studies show that emotional intelligence (EQ) is more of a predictor of future success than IQ will be.
This book, Emotional Intelligence, has been an important part of my business life. In certain times like this, we know that change is coming. Having the emotional intelligence to calmly and positively work through the coming changes, take the needed actions and lead others to do the same will determine your and your business’s future.
You and your business will be successful and there will be more change.
These are certain times.
Change is certain. And so, we’re going through times that are more certain than ever.
You have the chance now to make a difference in what the entire future of your family’s life will look.
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