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Leadership is a contact sport. President Theodore Roosevelt said, "People don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care. " Daniel Goleman identified empathy as another attribute of emotional intelligence. As you well know, empathy is the capacity to understand or feel what another person is experiencing within their frame of reference. In other words, it's the capacity to place oneself in another person's position. Empathy is not possible if we're unwilling to focus, listen and connect on an emotional level. We develop more empathetic responses the more we get out and make contact. Let's face it, LEADERSHIP IS A CONTACT SPORT. There simply is no substitute for interacting deeply with the people you lead. I [...]

How is your self-management? In last week's message, I shared some thoughts on self-awareness as it relates to emotional intelligence. This week, I'm going to dive into another key attribute of emotional intelligence: self-management. You may recall emotional intelligent leaders have a keen understanding of their strengths and limitations, as well as the ability to positively influence the organization and its people. Self-management has many components. For example, as a leader, adaptability is not an option. We are faced with adversity daily, and the ability to face challenges head on with confidence and courage is critical. We must maintain a calm, cool and collected outlook. Time management is another factor. When I am working with a leader, one of the [...]

How is your self-awareness? The Institute for Health and Human Potential defines emotional intelligence, as the ability to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions, and recognize, understand and influence the emotions of others. That's a lot to digest. In simple terms: we need to be aware of the emotions that drive our behavior and impact people (positively and negatively), and learn how to manage those emotions, especially under pressure. The first step toward becoming an emotionally intelligent leader is understanding the components: Self-awareness Self-management Motivation Empathy Social skill For this week's topic, I want to start with self-awareness. I have found for many people (myself at the top of the list) we tend to be more comfortable pointing out [...]

What business are you in? This is the time of year that business plans for the new year are already formed, or at least are in process. Therefore, it may be a good reminder to ask yourself the question of, "What business am I in?" It shouldn't be a surprise to you that your answer has nothing to do with making a profit. Obviously you will be out of business if you don't. Profit is a result of when we answer the question correctly. Over the years I have wrestled with this question, but have discovered a simplistic answer. For me, "the purpose of business is to create a customer and to satisfy a human need." As you review your [...]