Number forty-seven in a series about Change from Steve Roesler.
EQ expert Galba Bright wraps up his week-long series here at ATW.
What Have I Learned?
A study of 3871 executives found that leaders that used leadership styles that had a positive emotional impact enjoyed better financial results than those that did not.
From “Primal Leadership” by Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee
In the final article in this series, I ask you two questions to help follow up your improvement efforts.
Question 12. How will I consolidate what I’ve learned?
Richard Boyatzis, co-author of “Primal Leadership”, argues that it can take an executive up to six months to achieve a sustainable improvement in her behaviour and a year before colleagues acknowledge that the improvement has occurred.
The client who wanted to become more responsive to his team members’ comments in part 3 of this series wrote a journal. He used a written record of his experiences to objectively review his progress. He also coached some of his team members to use journaling as a reflective tool.
Are you compassionate with yourself when it takes time for improvements to materialise?
How will you sustain yourself as you improve your effectiveness?
13. How do I now behave towards the people that I lead?
The client’s journal led him full circle. His answers and the results that he achieved inspired him to write a new chapter in his development. This re-affirmed his commitment to the 13 questions. His final question was:
“What Next?”
How will you answer this question?
To Sum Up
Research findings reveal that emotions and business do mix. The effective leader needs to apply her logical reasoning skills. She must also draw on her emotional intelligence. She fulfills her potential by acting on both. She intentionally adjusts her behaviour in order to maximise her impact.
Your leadership role has an emotional dimension. Use The 13 Questions to develop a powerful conversation with yourself. For some, this may be new territory. For others it makes a process that was previously tacit, more explicit.
Everyday, you are telling yourself a story. The 13 Questions is a simple tool. It helps you shape your internal dialogue. Ask these questions periodically and successfully improve your emotional intelligence.
My 3 Final Questions For You
- Do you ask yourself questions to improve your effectiveness?
- Could this approach work for you?
- What have I missed?
More Resources
Download the 13 Emotional Intelligence Questions Every Leader Must Ask
Read Ed Brenegar’s 4 Questions Every Leader Must Ask articles
If you found this series helpful you might also enjoy:
Emotional Intelligence and the New 3 Rs
Leadership for Positive Change Parts 1, 2 & 3
Photo: Flickr Creative Commons Attribution Image by 2757
Question 13 is powerful indeed...
It's pointless to learn learn learn but fail to apply. Action truly speaks louder than words.
http://RichGrad.com
Personal Development for the Book Smart
Posted by: Personal Development for the Book Smart | February 15, 2008 at 09:21 AM
Hello SJ:
Thanks for your comment. Some people might argue that we haven't really learned anything until we act. I also enjoyed my visit to your blog.
Posted by: Galba Bright of Tune up your EQ | February 17, 2008 at 10:32 AM