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EQ or Emotional Intelligence - One of the critical future technologies
of corporate revolution and management effectiveness. All astute
managers, executives and business leaders know that in order to
thrive in the 21st century – we’ll have to do things a whole lot
differently from our past behaviours.
Today it’s
about energy, passion, creativity, commitment and engagement and
retention. These are not IQ issues, they’re Emotional Intelligence (EQ)
issues.
Just look at our past for a moment. - Where did we come from? Where
do we think we’re going? What are we? Who are we? Why are we? And to
top it all, what are we doing this all for? Just for Money?!
From a
holistic perspective - We are a disease! Why! You may exclaim. Well
just look at our sorry state of affairs.
We claim to be
progressive, in touch, aware, astute, compassionate, understanding,
kind, caring, considerate, open and a whole multitude of really
wonderful descriptions of who we believe we are.
But have a
LOOK at the evidence of whom and how we are showing up: We allow in
excess of 2 rapes per minute in South Africa alone! We are the
murder capital of the world and the road rage capital too.
We, humanity,
destroy (and allow to be destroyed) the much needed rain forests. We
turn a blind eye to child abuse and the wholesale devastation of
life in general. We fish the sea to emptiness and we pollute our air
to destruction.
And all for
for what? Just more, and more, corporate profits and power. All just
to make a few people some more bits of paper and a few more zero’s
on a bank account. For what? We abuse, reject, harm, attack, maim
and kill. For what? We lash out at the least provocation. Rage is
the word of the century…Emotional explosions.
Where are we
really? Lost! - I say. We’re whiz kids with little or no emotional
intelligence or Soul! We seem to be completely de sensitised to what
were’ doing and allowing to be done.
I recently
read that 50 years ago we had an average of 30% oxygen in our
atmosphere, We are already down to less than 19% right now. Research
from the Rockefeller institute reveals that the less oxygen a system
has the quicker the diseases grow. Cancer cells grow 600% faster in
low oxygen environments! Hello!! Ever wonder why we are becoming a
highly dis-eased race.
Remember space ships don’t have life-rafts!
Stress abounds
and accounts for 95%+ of all illness. Stress is an EQ issue. In the
USA alone people consume "please-help-me-cope" pills at an alarming
rate. It seems that we are on a high speed race to hell. Children
kill parents. Workers kill each other. Ever-growing numbers of kids
of 12 and 13 years of age are committing suicide!
Country
attacks country. Religion attacks religion. We kill because you
don't believe my beliefs! It's a BELIEF - It's not even undeniable
KNOWLEDGE or FACT. Such self-indulgent arrogance! Maybe high IQ –
But definitely no sign of Emotionally Intelligent life there.
We are so
egotistical, hurt and lost, that we lash out at anything that could
possibly take our prized security and happiness (ha ha) from us. We
have such suppressed anger, fear, sadness, rage and hurt that we
behave just like an injured buck trying to escape the onslaught of
the hungry lions.
We consume copious amounts of drugs, alcohol, and other substances
to keep an impervious layer of protection between ourselves and the
moment to moment reality, in the hope that one day we will wake up,
and it will just have been a big bad dream.
We have given
up driving our own bus. We've evicted ourselves out of our "Dream
Palace of Positive possibilities". We seem to have lost faith, not
in a God of anger, but in a God of Love and ourselves.
We allow other
power hungry (Loveless & Fearful) people to make most of our
decisions for us. We are lying on the floor of our "bus of life",
whimpering about how bad, unfair, and unreasonable life has been, we
vacillate between anger, frustration and regret of… if only, I
coulda, I woulda, I shoulda! - Yet we still give away our power. We
don’t use our heads and we don’t use our hearts.
We are doing
many things right, but we are also doing tons of things very, very
wrong. We have developed a society where betrayal, lies and deceit
are the norm rather than the exception. The President of the United
States "lies" - and it's OK. Our leaders lie and it’s OK! We lie,
and it’s OK? – Men and women seem to have completely lost their
honour and integrity. Great IQ but where is the emotional
Intelligence?
It has become
an acceptable norm for business people, leaders and politicians to
be totally deceitful, self serving, misrepresent the truth, and
abuse their powers and take the money.
The office has
become a war-zone of mini-politics, deception and distress. We hate
the people we spend the most time with! We covertly and overtly
undermine our co-workers in the work place. It has become our
daylight "nightmare". And trust? What’s trust?
Where-ever we
go to do our EQ and AQ Coaching and workshops, we see it over and
over again. No trust, no fun, no happiness. Just high levels of
stress, anger, disillusionment, hurt, sadness, frustration and
mistrust. We seem to have lost sight of our mission and lost touch
with our hearts. It’s no wonder retention is an issue.
We talk about
what is really important to us; like family, positive relationships,
caring, community, honesty, loving, belonging and sharing. But we do
exactly the opposite in the next nano-second.
We say our
family is important - a great value to have. Yet we spend more time
at the office, than with our family. If you had to ask your family
what they wanted - they want more of the old you. Fun, easy going,
light hearted and loving - not more money, or a bigger car, or a
more powerful position! Just try it if you dare. Ask your family
what they want more of – tonight!
We don't feel
much anymore either it seems. We intellectualize and rationalise,
rather than explore our feelings about an issue. The most amazing
thing is that the biggest indicator of success in the business world
is your level of EQ not your IQ, as it was so long believed.
People who
don't feel, who are not self aware are not able to empathize;
they’re oblivious of the visible, and invisible, impact that they
have on the people around them. We all have direct, and indirect,
impact upon our workers, friends, customers and families. Many of us
just are not aware of this impact and effect.
If you are
unaware of what you do and the level of impact it has - watch out! -
You could end up being "fired" - by your family, friends and
co-workers. You may even have already been fired by your Soul and
heart.
I recently
read of a case where a very high level executive, in a global
corporation was fired. He had all the IQ skills to make the business
happen…industry knowledge, experience, insight and power. However he
had ZERO EQ.
He had minimal people ability to be able to truly understand how his
staff felt, what drove them, and how to interact most effectively
with them. He had no compassion or empathy. He was a walking head
with no Soul - He was an IQ wizard and an EQ pauper.
The companies’
chairman, who fired him, had come to understand the challenges and
needs of a 21st Century Leader. This is ideally a balance of 10% IQ
and 90% EQ. That’s not to say you can be a moron and be the boss…
but I’ve seen that too. Good IQ will get you in the door. A great
Emotional Intelligence (EQ) will keep you in the office.
Leadership is
changing fast and furiously. Employment practices are shifting
irreversibly. Workplace contexts are becoming more critical in
nurturing and facilitating engagement, commitment, creativity and a
safe, appealing, place to retain talent.
I heard of
another case where a large corporation was interviewing executives
from around the world for a very high powered position. One of the
qualifying questions from the interviewer was - "When last did you
cry?"
When last did you cry? You! Yes you! When last did you get in touch
with the real you? Not that protective shield, your MASK that you
present to everyone, everyday, even yourself. When last did you
adventure inside your YOU-niverse?
The bad news
is, if you were the usual macho-man, who doesn't cry, you didn't get
the job! You would not even have been put on the short list! Makes
you scared enough to cry, doesn't it? Emotional Intelligence, self
awareness and stress management are critical aspects of a emotional
economy leader.
It's the wave
of transformation and the age of uncertainty. You will either surf
the greatest wave of your life or you could end up tumbled into a
tattered angry ball of suppressed frustrations and other negative
emotions that will limit your ability to be an effective inspiring,
engaging leader in the 21st century
You have been
warned! Get EQ active. Reduces your stress levels through releasing,
relaxing and meditation, great sex, exercise etc… Release operating
ssolely through your limiting IQ, and set yourself free to explore
your untapped power of EQ. It's is the power and the happiness of
your future.
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“Team-spirit is up, Sales are up, Client relationships
are clear, Profits are up!” Bruce Williams- MD Hardware
Distributors
