Good Evening Lovely Readers!I have completed my Emotional Intelligence Appraisal at Talent Smart and it sure is an eye opener. The code for the appraisal comes with the Emotional Intelligence 2.0 book. The assessment is quick (~20 questions) and all it asks of you is to reflect on the situations and answer honestly.Emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to observe, assess and manage emotions which play a vital part in how we deal with others. Emotional Intelligence 2.0's primary purpose is to increase EI by first assessing your current EI (Taking the Appraisal) and then providing proven strategies for improving your competence in areas where you may be lacking.The Appraisal assesses your personal competence and social competence vs. what you see and what you do.Personal Competence x What I See = Self AwarenessPersonal Competence x What I Do = Self ManagementSocial Competence x What I see = Social AwarenessSocial Competence x What I Do = Relationship ManagementThe Scoring is broken down as followed:90-100 A strength to capitalize on80-89 A strength to build on70-79 With a little improvement, this could be a strength60-69 Something you should work onBelow 59 A concern you must addressMy scores were not perfect but that's OK because a friend recently reminded me that we are all perfectly imperfect (so true!).The program encourages users to start Emotional Intelligence improvement with Self Awareness (Personal Competence x What I See). The following tailored-to-me strategies were suggested to improve my Self Awareness:
- Observe the ripple effect from your emotions
- Watch yourself like a hawk
- Seek feedback
In Emotional Intelligence 2.0, the ripple effect from your emotions is compared to a ripple effect from a stone swiftly dropping into water.
"Your outpourings of emotion are like stones that send ripples through the people in your life."- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
Observing the ripple effect from emotions can be difficult at times for me because when I occasionally "dump emotions" on others I have a tendency to move on to the next topic, quickly forgetting about the emotion. Emotions are contagious so I need to remind myself that venting negative emotions on others can leave them feeling negative. I want to leave a positive impression on people and leave people feeling positive!Watching yourself like a hawk in the EI world is to develop a more objective understanding of your own behavior. When I get caught up in emotion it is very easy to get tunnel vision and forget to look at the situation objectively. I tend to assess situations after they occur not while they are in process. I will work toward pulling myself out of the emotion to view the whole picture "like a hawk" from above. I can do this by taking note of my behaviors and thoughts as the emotion unfolds.
"Self-awareness is the process of getting to know yourself from the inside out and the outside in. The only way to get the second, more elusive perspective is to open yourself up to feedback from others"- Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
Seeking feedback from others to understand how I am perceived is a big risk. I do not love putting myself out there (fear is a big part of this) but for the sake of learning and growing I will be seeking true feedback from others.Emotional Intelligence is a new concept for me and I am excited to learn more by finishing the book as well as interviewing Katie Dahmen, the EI presenter I recently met, on Thursday!