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Blog
By Barb Ward
In our last blog we talked about emotional triggers. You know that experience where your mood changes throughout the day? Perhaps you wake up with a feeling of anticipation that changes to happiness, discomfort, frustration, anxiety or even sadness. When you take a closer look at the circumstances that lead up to your mood changes, you can probably identify why you are having these feelings. Maybe it’s a meeting with your boss, a fun lunch with a friend, or a difficult phone call you need to make. And you know that it’s not always a specific event that affects your emotions. A memory, or experience can also unconsciously influence the way you feel, such as a song on the radio, a certain smell in the air, or a tone of voice that evokes a strong emotional response. These are your emotional triggers.
For months you have been vocal about an issue that needs to be addressed at work. You have offered numerous solutions, and nothing has been done. Now, you learn that your boss has selected a committee to address the issue and you were not invited to be a member of the group. You experience frustration and anger so intense that it is probably disproportionate to the actual offense.
“Nothing worth having comes easy.” ~Theodore Roosevelt
What if I told you that you could positively improve your life and increase your level of success – both personally and professionally – simply by increasing your emotional intelligence (EI)? Would you want to know more? If so, keep reading!
We all know that family member, friend or co-worker who is a really good listener, they always seem to know what to say, and more importantly, what not to say in certain situations. They stay calm in crisis, are compassionate, and are genuinely happy for you when something goes right? You admire them and would love to be like that, what is it that gives them these amazing qualities? It’s called emotional literacy.
“The important thing is that we stick together!” ~Buzz Lightyear
If you’ve ever watched action movies like Star Wars or the Avengers, or Disney movies like Toy Story or Cinderella, you know that the characters’ ability to survive and thrive is dependent on their team. The reason for this is simple, it’s because when you combine the ideas, strengths, and collaboration of a team, you increase problem-solving, decision-making, and planning skills. And, let’s face it, many tasks just cannot be done alone.
Finally, after many rounds of interviews and assessments, you have been hired. You’re excited, now you can really make an impact as a leader in this organization… Then, you arrive and find that there is no training or onboarding program. All at once you are on your own to master the organization’s culture, learn the team dynamics, identify priorities, promote new initiatives, and develop trust and critical networks quickly, all while managing conflict and challenges as they arise. You are overwhelmed.