In our article in the Training Zone today (http://www.trainingzone.co.uk/topic/leadership/are-you-missing-out-potential-emotional-intelligence) we talk about how being emotionally intelligent is not a soft option, and how the emotionally intelligent leader, wherever they may be within an organisation, is a power for success.
It's a tactical option to raise the game of anyone on both a professional and a personal level. Being emotionally intelligent means that we have high self awareness about what makes us function in either a really effective way or what scuppers our ability at every turn. It means we're aware of how we respond to challenges as well as success, it means we can bounce back from adverse conditions - whether they're self inflicted or 'outside of our control'.
Stuff happens all the time - sometimes it's good stuff, sometimes it's bad, and often it's somewhere in between. It's not necessarily the 'stuff' that makes our lives difficult, it's the way we respond to it.
I saw on television this week the moving and yet uplifting story of Katie Piper, the young woman who had sulphuric acid thrown in her face. She has had the most challenging few months of her life, overcoming life threatening injuries, disfigurement and pain. And yet I saw and heard a beautiful, empowered, inspiring woman who talked about her experiences with not a scrap of self-pity. She's talking about her experiences to help others realise that life doesn't have to end or be unbearable when something incredibly awful happens.
Her message is pretty much that you choose how your life's going to go - and that's as true for any other person as it is for someone who's had to face up to life changing events.
EI is about choosing your attitude in any given situation, it's about being aware of the impact our emotions and behaviours have on us and those people around us. It's about becoming aware of what really strong positive behaviours get us to where we want to be, and it's about listening to ourselves and others to see where we can really up our game.
Our emotional intelligence can be developed if we choose to - it can help us be resilient in the face of adversity, and can help us enjoy and see the possibilities in even the darkest moments.
And just imagine what being emotionally intelligent can do for us when things are going well! To have that tactic up our sleeve to draw on at any moment, to be able to bring the best out in ourselves, and encourage the best in others.
Is that a soft skill? Or is it a tactic for success, engaging leadership and huge personal growth?
Wednesday, 21 October 2009
Monday, 5 October 2009
To live to 100 you'll need to change your behaviour
The news that children born in the year 2000 will have an average life expectancy of 100 is exciting news….particularly if you’re one of those children! It does, however, raise the question, how will the younger generation support this ageing generation? – The answer is that we are going to have to change our behaviour.
For most men and women today the retirement age is set 65 at which stage they are traditionally pensioners. Of course, there are the minority that choose to continue to work like Buster at Pimlico Plumbers who is still going strong at over 100!
Already we are beginning to see that this system is becoming outdated. There are now thousands of people retiring at this age who are fit and healthy and many whom would like to continue to work, if only in a part-time capacity, but are unable to find work and at best are somewhat bored, at worst, depressed.
The fundamental point here is that this situation is a perfect example that change happens whether we like it or not and those who succeed are those who embrace change and in many cases are ahead of the curve, anticipate it coming and adapt their behaviour accordingly.
In order to accommodate the number of people who will be able and want to work in the future, the Danish author of the report Professor Kaare Christensen at the ageing research centre of University of Southern Denmark suggests that one solution could be young and old work fewer hours over a week. ‘In a lifetime we would spend the same amount of time at work as we do now, but spread out over the years’ he says.
Whatever the solution, both young and old are going to have to change their behaviours to adapt. Children born knowing that their life expectancy is 100, will surely want to pay keen interest to their work life/balance and may want to change their career 2 or 3 times, employers will need to be open-minded about the skills and capabilities of older people, young and old people will need to work together and learn from each other, the list goes on – what an interesting world it’s going to be!
Katharine Tipper
Katharine@twpartnership.co.uk
For most men and women today the retirement age is set 65 at which stage they are traditionally pensioners. Of course, there are the minority that choose to continue to work like Buster at Pimlico Plumbers who is still going strong at over 100!
Already we are beginning to see that this system is becoming outdated. There are now thousands of people retiring at this age who are fit and healthy and many whom would like to continue to work, if only in a part-time capacity, but are unable to find work and at best are somewhat bored, at worst, depressed.
The fundamental point here is that this situation is a perfect example that change happens whether we like it or not and those who succeed are those who embrace change and in many cases are ahead of the curve, anticipate it coming and adapt their behaviour accordingly.
In order to accommodate the number of people who will be able and want to work in the future, the Danish author of the report Professor Kaare Christensen at the ageing research centre of University of Southern Denmark suggests that one solution could be young and old work fewer hours over a week. ‘In a lifetime we would spend the same amount of time at work as we do now, but spread out over the years’ he says.
Whatever the solution, both young and old are going to have to change their behaviours to adapt. Children born knowing that their life expectancy is 100, will surely want to pay keen interest to their work life/balance and may want to change their career 2 or 3 times, employers will need to be open-minded about the skills and capabilities of older people, young and old people will need to work together and learn from each other, the list goes on – what an interesting world it’s going to be!
Katharine Tipper
Katharine@twpartnership.co.uk
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