Kit Prendergast, PCC
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Tag Archives: Networking
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!
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!
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged Career, Networking, Relationships, social media
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Being EQ Smart is 80% of Leadership
Are you eager to take your career to a new more fulfilling level? Since the early 1990’s, research has consistently shown that being EQ smart is twice as important an ingredient of outstanding leadership performance as both ability and technical skill combined. And the higher you go up in your organization, the more important EQ is. At the highest leadership levels, EQ accounts for almost 85% – 90% of a leader’s success! So, if you are ready to fast-forward your professional career, think carefully about your own emotional intelligence – how would you rate yourself?
Here’s where you start . . . become a master of self-awareness. Know what you are feeling and why throughout the day. Teach yourself to check-in with your emotions several times a day. Know when you are feeling frustrated, angry, pleased or discouraged and why. The “why” can be difficult to identify but that is key to choosing how you will respond. You are in control and that ultimately works in your favor. Don’t let yourself be blindsided and/or let yourself be “emotionally hijacked”.
Get Noticed…Get Referrals
Get Noticed . . . Get Referrals: Build Your Client Base and Your Business by Making a Name for Yourself, by Jill Lublin, McGraw Hill, 2008.
Lublin is a master at helping business owners like us build our businesses through the art of nurturing relationships and encouraging referrals.
She brings a wonderful energy and a wealth of experience to her workshops and books. I had the opportunity to travel to the California wine country to take one of her courses with my colleague and media extraordinaire, Judith Harlan. We both took away a huge amount of information to apply to our businesses and a bottle or two of wine tucked in the back seat.
Posted in Kit's Resources & Book Reviews
Tagged communication, Leadership, Networking, Relationships
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3 Tips to Build Referrals
It’s not hard to build a referral-base business if you are strategic about what you want for your business and how best to use your time and energy. Having your previous clients continue to buy from you and to refer to you is a very cost-effective way to grow your company.
Research shows that the average business owner spends about 30% of their time trying to engage new clients but the person working primarily from referrals spends about 5% of their time. So let’s get smarter about this so we all can enjoy the phone ringing with requests for our services. Here are three strategies I have found particularly helpful over the years. They work!
- Identify your most valued “referral partners”. Who is out there in your professional network that sings your praises and recommends you often? Nurture those relationships by staying in frequent contact, thanking them personally when they refer and returning the favor by passing on the good word about them and their services when appropriate.
- Develop a reputation “personal brand” so you are known as someone who is easy to work with, visible & available, reliable & dependable and most importantly you can be trusted to offer top quality services at a reasonable price.
- Ask for a LinkedIn recommendation (2-3 sentences) from clients who are wildly enthusiastic about your work. Get their permission to cut & paste the recommendation into your website using their name or initials, name of company or geographic location.