Monthly Archives: October 2013

Emotional Intelligence: Use It or Lose Your Career!

You may think I’m exaggerating but it’s true. The #1 reason professionals stumble in their career advancement is because of their lack of social and emotional intelligence. They may have all the knowledge, skills and even years of experience but they have earned a reputation for not being able to get along with their colleagues, direct reports or even their bosses.  In short, their own self-awareness; empathy for others and ability to manage their own emotions is limited or nonexistent.

These folks (are we talking about you?) are just known for being difficult – they don’t listen, are confrontational, unpredictable and even arrogant in their beliefs. They may be in a supervisory or middle management position because they have been with the company for so long but now their career is on thin ice and they wonder why.  But others know why . . .

So what exactly is “social and emotional intelligence”?  Here is a excellent working defination from the Institute for Social & Emotional Intelligence (ISEI), Denver, Colorado.

  • “Social and emotional intelligence is the ability to be aware of our own emotions and those of others, in the moment, and to use that information to manage ourselves and manage our relationships”.

I’ve been giving workshops on emotional intelligence (EQ) for years – it’s truly my favorite topic because it impacts every aspect of our working and personal lives.  I’m delighted now to be in an intensive coach certification course (October – November) through ISEI with my Australian coaching colleagues to learn even more.  I’ve already started to pull new ideas and tools into my training courses and with my individual coaching clients.

So let’s remember that 80 – 85% of our career success at the upper levels depends on our ability to connect, communicate and collaborate with others. Our own personal work experiences confirm that research.  We have all known industry leaders who have those qualities – they inspire, motivate and engage their teams and employees resulting in people working harder with energy, creativity and greater flexibility.  The result? Less employee turnover; higher productivity and greater profits for the company.

This is emotional intelligence competencies in action. Let’s be known as one of those leaders!

 

 

Posted in Career Tips & Strategies, Communication Tips, Emotional Intelligence, Inspirational Leadership, Navigating Change, Personal Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

I’m On LinkedIn – Now What???

I’m on LinkedIn – Now What???, by Jason Alba, Happy About, Cupertino, CA, 2011.

Alba is well known as a LinkedIn guru and his recent book is excellent. It moves from just giving you the philosophy of LinkedIn to really helping us know which buttons to push to get which results. That’s my kind of book. And it’s an easy read with lots of practical tips.

Once you start working with LinkedIn it’s actually quite fun. I often have an individual’s profile up when I talking with them on the phone because I can see their picture; what they have done in the past, are doing now and possibly what I can do for them in the future. And when we know that 90% of HR professionals and recruiters are using LinkedIn to look us up to give us that dream job, we want to look our best. Pick it up and read it tonight!

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First 3 Steps to Creating Your Career Portfolio

Fall PumpkinsWe can learn a lot from artists, photographers and savvy career professionals who have always taken the initiative to routinely collect examples of their best work. They then organize these examples in a variety of ways depending on who they want to show these examples to and for what purpose. We can do the same. Start your own career portfolio by taking these first three steps (keep it simple):

  • Buy a large plastic box (your Master Portfolio) with five hanging files.
  • Label the files with P.E.A.K.S. (Personal Characteristics; Experience; Accomplishments; Knowledge and Skills).
  • Go on a scavenger hunt. Find documents (certificates; evaluations, testimonials; photos etc) that are “evidence” of your efforts in each of these areas. Toss them into the folders.

Now this just gets you in the right mind set. It’s a delicious feeling of “I can do it” and the proof is right here at my fingertips. That’s a great shot of confidence – realizing that you have done a great deal and as a result you have a lot of value to offer others.

With this memory jog and resulting momentum move on to creating your own LinkedIn profile. Pull ideas and inspiration from your Master Portfolio. This is a process, so relax and enjoy giving yourself the recognition that you have earned over the years. And pick up Jason Alba’s book (scroll down) for step-by-step instructions on how to create your profile and how to use LinkedIn effectively.

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