By: Gina Angeli, Bay Tek Games
We have all been around them- the people that just seem to “get you.” They have a way of dealing with conflict and challenging situations in ways that you just can’t put your finger on.  Dr. Travis Bradberry describes this “it factor.” Dr. Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book Emotional Intelligence 2.0. He describes Emotional Intelligence as the pathway between the emotional and rational brain.
Before our brain can even have a rational thought about any input, an emotional reaction is registered. Emotion is the start; it happens without judgment or intent- it just is. It is what we choose to do with it that will determine its impact. This is where EQ and leadership begin. EQ is made up, simply, of our awareness of self and others and our ability to do something with that awareness.
Unlike IQ and personality, which are fixed at a young age, EQ is highly responsive to change. The gift in this is that EQ is a significant predictor of high performance across all areas of an organization. This means each and every one of us has the capacity to be a better leader tomorrow than today by focusing on developing our EQ/ our awareness of self and others and the impact we can have.
Dr. Bradberry describes one of the most impactful things we can do to increase our EQ is to get our stress under control. EQ requires the ability to slow down and think versus just being in a mode of reacting. Getting our stress under control gives us a greater ability to be in a position of thoughtfulness. This creates a solid foundation for being one of those people that others look to for guidance and help in challenging situations because we just “get it.”
To learn more about Dr. Travis Bradberry and EQ go to: www.talentsmart.com
To learn more about the Global Leadership Summit go to https://www.willowcreek.com/events/leadership/