Two and a half years ago I created what I think is my most important, meaningful course on Pluralsight. It is titled Leading with Emotional Intelligence. I blogged about it here.
This one hour and 12 minute course is not necessarily for leaders. It definitely helps leaders understand and lead with emotional intelligence. But the course is for anyone. It is for everyone. In that 2020 post I wrote this:
I think if everyone in the world works on the five principles of emotional intelligence (EQ) with the proper intent (not to manipulate others), the entire world would change. Work environments would be way less toxic. Job satisfaction would skyrocket (it is pretty low according to surveys). You will be kinder and more authentic with yourself. You’ll be kinder and more authentic with others. Families and friend groups will greatly benefit.
I still believe that. Learn about the five pillars of emotional intelligence, and really internalize them, and you can change the world.
You, Me, We Can Change the World with Emotional Intelligence
That might sound like a claim that is too big to make. Before I did a deep dive into emotional intelligence I would have agreed. Hype. Excitement, ego. Self-promotion.
But indeed, I’m convinced the world needs more emotional intelligence.
By the way, having emotional intelligence does not mean you are intelligent about emotions. Far from it, emotional intelligence is based on five pillars, which I go into in the course. The five pillars are:
- Self-awareness
- Self-motivation
- Self-regulation
- Empathy (think: awareness of others)
- Social Skills
You Can Become Better with Emotional Intelligence
Increasing your emotional intelligence is one of the most important journeys you can take. I think there’s happiness to be found as you work on and in any of those five pillars. There’s personal and career satisfaction. There’s kindness to be extended as you become more aware of others, and their needs. There are richer relationships, both personally and professionally, as you improve your social skills.
These are real results you get when you work to become better with emotional intelligence.
And, you get to change the world (or, someone’s world) as you move forward.
Working on your emotional intelligence is not something you do just this week, or just this month. It is something you work on for the rest of your life. They key is to be intentional about it. To do it on purpose. As you work on yourself and increase your emotional intelligence you should see some of the results I’ve listed in this blog post.
The Missing Piece
As I spent time going through the five pillars, I realized I knew people who excelled at each of the five pillars, but they misused them. They were abusers of others. I don’t say that lightly. Abuse is a strong word. But these people (two in particular) had uncanny abilities to understand others (empathy), and use their charming social skills to influence, persuade, etc.
Sound familiar?
If you know any narcissists or psychopaths you know what I mean.
In my course I talk about not abusing knowledge gained from studying emotional intelligence. It’s so powerful that it can be abused. It can be misused. But, anyone with a good heart knows, as they say on the internet, “Ain’t nobody got time for that.”
Seriously, learn about emotional intelligence to help others. With emotional intelligence you can learn to have a happier and more satisfied life… personally and professionally. With emotional intelligence you can feel a sense of control over yourself and your reactions.
I’ve made this a lifelong journey. What I once thought was fluffy has become one of the most important aspects of my life. And I want to share that with you. Check out my course, Leading with Emotional Intelligence, here:
