Much is written about the importance of emotional intelligence. It is something that some seem to have in abundance. Equally, there are those who seem to really struggle. Importantly, it has nothing to do with general or intellectual intelligence. I’ve certainly met people who are very intelligent yet completely lack any emotional intelligence. The good news is that it is something that we can all work on. It all starts with self-awareness, understanding how and who we are. Given that there is so much to gain, it makes sense to take positive steps now to build your self-awareness.
Emotional intelligence has four parts, sometimes referred to as four pillars or competencies. The first is self-awareness. This is all about understanding what works for you, what you do well, and what you could be doing better. Crucially, it’s about understanding your world. Similarly, there is a lot to be gained by understanding what makes you tick. What winds you up and what calms you down.
The more you understand yourself, the more you can effectively manage yourself. This is all about learning how to manage your time, your energy, your life. Essentially, it’s all about understanding how you can the very best version of you.
All of this, in turn, leads to a better understanding of others. Which, of course, really does make sense. If you can understand the strengths and weakness of others, this helps you work effectively with them. Understand their hopes and aspirations, and others respond when you work to meet what they’re looking for. Suddenly, that awareness of others gives you the insight.
Finally, you have the insight, the knowledge, to manage those relationships. Importantly, it’s all about getting the very best from, rather than controlling, those relationships. This, in turn, means that everyone is a winner.
This forms a cycle. Your self-awareness leads to better self-management. Consequently, by understanding and managing yourself better, you get a better understanding of others, a greater awareness of others. Subsequently, you become better at managing others, managing those relationships so that everyone wins.
And it all starts with self-awareness. This, for me, leads to the power of NLP. NLP provides a range of models, tools, and techniques which allow us to understand ourselves and our worlds. Once we understand this, we can learn how to change what could be working better. As we make those improvements we can create the goals and plans that move us from where we are to where we want to be. Critically, we can do so in a way which is a win-win all round.
If you know that to do, now is the time to take the next step. If you’re not sure, book a free initial consultation here, and then take the next step. You know that you can do it, and you know that it makes sense, don’t you?
