Emotional Intelligence is Vital

I work with large corporate clients and budding solopreneurs all the time. The question when in any business, no matter the size, is: "How do I maximize my resources?" 

How do I get the most bang for my buck? The most efficiency for my time? 

When facing a perceived "lack" in business, we have two options:

1) Find more
2) Get more out of what you already have

It may feel sexier to go with option one, but it is so much easier to at least give option two a try. 

What does this have to do with Emotional Intelligence? 
Everything. 

If we consider that humans are the most valuable resource we have in our business (and this includes solopreneurs - YOU are your most valuable asset) then it only makes sense to nurture humans, commit ourselves to their thriving, and give them to tools for self-care, interpersonal navigation and innovation. 

Self-Care

If the humans in our businesses are not engaging in self-care (I know it's a buzz word these days, stay with me) they will end up operating from a place of energetic lack. What is energetic lack? It's a place where the nervous system is being asked for more than it has and in order to survive will engage the adrenals and drain the individual. This produces sub-par work, this inhibits creativity, the ability to problem solve and complicates interpersonal relating. Self-care is maintenance. Self-care is the ability to first of all determine how we are doing (taking our own emotional temperature) and secondly, to know what kinds of care we need (it's not all bubble baths and massages). 

If we have humans in our businesses who are not equipped to engage in proper self-care, we are not maximizing our assets. Plain and simple. The work that will be produced will be sub-par and that hurts us all. 

Interpersonal Navigation

Anytime we communicate there are two factors: 1) what is said, 2) what is heard. 

Bridging the gap between these two is a CONSTANT struggle. It takes up precious time and energy to communicate clearly, and when clear communication is not taking place, it can have DIRE and hurtful consequences. The tragedy is that, for the most part, most individuals ARE trying to communicate and understand the best they can. It's not for lack of trying. 

So, what get's in the way?
The lens we each carry that distorts everything we see and hear. 

Did you know each person carries around a lens? Each person is bringing into their life an entire worldview, perspective and view point. We cannot take this lens off...and it distorts EVERYTHING. It's what causes us to interpret things incorrectly, and from this distorted interpretation we find interpersonal navigation to be full of friction. 

How do we work with this friction? If we cannot remove the lens, then we must understand it. We must SEE the lens. We must be aware that what we are seeing is actually not rose-colored, or curved like a fun house mirror. We must be aware of the biases that are inherent in our perspective so we can mentally adjust. The objects in mirror are closer than they appear. 

Only when we are aware of our biases and the lens we have on, can we begin to open up to curiosity. Making sure that what we are perceiving is actually true. Making sure that what we heard is what the other person meant to say. 

Innovation

Innovation is EVERYTHING. Creativity, problem solving, initiative, rolling with the punches. This is especially true for solopreneurs/entrepreneurs. This is the secret sauce, and yet...not something that is easy to fabricate or produce. 

How do we problem solve efficiently, when we are nervous of losing our job if we do something wrong? How do we innovate if we are afraid of looking dumb? How do we let our hair down, spin upside down and try and see the world from another perspective when succeeding in the work environment is inherently tied to our very survival?

Can you see how innovation and creative problem solving is difficult to come by? And yet, is exactly what is needed to be competitive? 

How do we solve this paradox? 

By knowing ourselves, knowing what kinds of practices can settle the nervous system, create a sense of safety for our bodies and brains and allow us to engage in these kinds of "risky" situations with strategies and support in order to allow as much innovation and creativity to be present as possible. 

___________

Self-care, interpersonal navigation and innovation. 

Three VITAL skills for humans to posses. Three VITAL skills for companies to foster, and they all have their roots in EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE.

If I know myself - I can engage in productive self-care.

If I know myself - I can navigate around the lens I perceive myself and others through.

If I know myself - I can support myself through strategies that unlock my ability to innovate.

This is not an added bonus, a fun PD practice or something nice to offer, but a core and foundational skill set for businesses of every size. 

To learn more about how Enneagram programs and coaching are powerfully tailored to foster emotional intelligence and provide solutions around self-awareness, schedule a Discovery Call with The Enneagram Workshop HERE.

We specialize in this kind of work, tailored toward business growth and entrepreneurial ventures.