Motivation is the source of energy to overcome challenges, pursue a goal, or maintain commitment. If you are in a leadership role, how much strength does your team have today? Are people coming into work full of energy or even excitement? Or are they dragging their feet with dark circles under their eyes?
Trust is that invisible force that makes things feel just right, and as we all know, trust is at the core of all relationships whether at home or at work and without it the relationship takes a lot of strain. With trust in your workplace teams are more productive, meetings run efficiently, and you work with autonomy, however when trust is running low, especially during times of change, everyone has an eye on the exit.
Practical emotional intelligence starts with observing how you feel and behave to create awareness. This then allows you to take responsibility for both your feelings and behaviour to create a more positive impact on all areas of your life. From here you are then able to practice responding rather than reacting which assists in practicing empathy with yourself and others.
Engaging Intrinsic Motivation has to do with gaining energy from personal values and commitments instead of being driven by external forces. People who require external reinforcement to be motivated are always at the mercy of others’ approval or reward or punishment system. This ultimately reduces self-efficacy.
The second area of the EQ in Action Model is CHOOSE YOURSELF. This involves self-management and being more intentional. Doing what you mean to do instead of reacting on autopilot. These competencies allow you to proactively respond. They provide you with the ‘how’, showing you how to take action, how to influence and how to operationalize these concepts.
This is the first of 8 competencies that we’ll be exploring over the next few posts. Emotions are chemicals that provide data about yourself and others. The ability to notice, name and understand your feelings is known as Emotional Literacy.
