You don’t need a specific job title to motivate and guide others. It’s a choice you can make at any moment. Taking a more active role in the well-being of others not only positively impacts them but activates the best in you as well.
Sometimes all it takes is showing up.
Establishing a safe space for courageous communication where others feel empowered to speak up and thrive in their core capabilities is what great leaders and coaches do. When you’re self-led, you can be present, patient, open to possibilities, and supportive of others’ aspirations and goals.
Achieve higher levels of performance through small acts of kindness.
Making connections, offering fresh ideas, and acting as a sounding board, are a few ways to bolster relationships and collaboration. Additionally, entering into conversations in a calm, compassionate, and curious manner emits a vibe that fosters trust, acceptance, and sincere dialogue.
As you listen with positive intention and respond accordingly, you put others at ease and make room for them to talk honestly with conviction and clarity. When you balance out your communication style, sometimes even amping it up as needed, you meet others where they are at with a level of appreciation and understanding.
Embrace your leadership potential.
There are 15 emotional intelligence competencies that the Multi-Health Systems’ Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) assesses. Understanding how your EQ competencies work together enables you to bring your EQ abilities into balance for your well-being, interpersonal relationships, communication, workplace performance, and overall success.
With purpose and practice, you can manage your natural tendencies and boost your skills to inspire others by experimenting with EQ proficiencies outside your usual patterns. Here are some to pick from:
Be Empathetic.
Named “empathy” in the EQ-i, this is about considering what’s important to another person and allowing them to express what they want freely without judgment. Providing others the opportunity to address what matters most to them is a priceless way to demonstrate empathy and how much you value them.
Seek Objectivity.
Before reacting immediately, think through various concepts and perspectives. Referred to as “reality testing” in the EQ-i, objectivity is about taking an impartial, logical, and rational view of a situation or circumstance. You can draw on relevant data and consider the pros and cons, positive and negative, and best-and-worst-case scenarios.
Manage Expectations.
Strong partnerships are founded on mutual trust and respect, where commitments are defined and aligned together. This comprises a mix of skills under “stress management,” “decision-making,” and “interpersonal” categories in the EQ-i. Instead of assuming your approach is best, ask open-ended questions, like “How would you suggest we accomplish the task at hand,” “What would you recommend we do,” and “When do you think you can deliver X?”
Regulate Emotions.
In the EQ-i, this shows up in the “self-perception,” “self-expression,” and “interpersonal” categories. If you’re someone easily impacted and influenced by others, take time to understand your feelings and process your emotions before interacting. Then with a clear mind, you can prioritize what’s relevant, approach the discussion calmly, and minimize the need for approval or validation to be confident in your contribution.
Be Assertive.
Sometimes it makes sense to flex and compromise, and other times it’s essential to share your wants and needs in an authentic, non-offensive manner. You don’t avoid or push away uncomfortable conversations when you assert (labeled “assertiveness” in the EQ-i). Instead, you speak up directly to ensure your voice is heard.
You get to choose.
In business settings, some norms and values define an organization’s culture and expectations of individuals and may shift depending on who is in charge. Yet, this doesn’t need to dictate how you show up and treat others. Words are only part of the experience equation; most will remember how you made them feel. Extending a helping hand, including others, and welcoming diverse viewpoints and styles cultivates a sense of belonging. You get to decide how you want to show up and be.
My approach centers on you.
Self-leadership is about getting to know yourself better and applying that knowledge to activate your best for yourself and those around you. My approach is personalized and customized, tapping into various assessments, disciplines, modalities, and techniques, i.e., branding, communications, change management, emotional intelligence, mindfulness, neurobiology, project management, and psychology. To learn more, schedule a call with me.