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 first things I want to learn is how he/she manages their time. Is there a game plan for prioritizing? We are pulled in so many directions that we need to be aware of the “tyranny of the urgent.” Ask yourself, are you spending time or investing time. When you invest you expect a rate of return. That then becomes a question of “with whom”, “what”, “when” “how?” Caution on your spending, you may not get a good return.

Our emotions play a large part in our self-management. It is a good idea from time to time to rate yourself on a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being the highest) on the following emotions:

POSITIVE: joy, gratitude,serenity, interest, hope, pride, amusement, inspiration, and love
NEGATIVE: anger, annoyance, frustration, disappointment,anxiety, and envy

Now may be a good time to grade how you’re doing with adaptability, time management, and emotions.