<p>This article distinguishing savvy from struggling leaders may surprise you.&nbsp; Every indicator today points to the fact that in order to thrive in business, leaders must be savvy.&nbsp; An immediate sign of a savvy leader is their emotional intelligence.<br /><br />We know now that emotions provide valuable information to us.&nbsp; Leaders who recognize their own emotions and the influence they have on their team are far ahead of the game.&nbsp; It&rsquo;s equally important to have a gauge on the emotions of the individuals on their team as this is reflected throughout the company and to the customer. <br /><br />The challenge with emotions is that we want to recognize our positive emotions and ignore or stuff the rest of them.&nbsp; When we suppress seemingly undesirable emotions, it&rsquo;s like stuffing a beach ball under water&mdash;it will pop up at some unexpected time.&nbsp; You&rsquo;ve likely experienced this in getting upset with your car when you&rsquo;re really angry at a supplier.<br /><br />Emotions not only provide valuable information in the moment but offer long term gifts to you if you simply notice and name them. &nbsp;<br /><br />Think of emotions as guests in your home.&nbsp; They are there for a reason.&nbsp; You can&rsquo;t ignore them.&nbsp; Ask why they are there and what they want?&nbsp; For example, anger may indicate that someone is taking advantage of you and you need to pay attention before it gets worse. <br /><br />If you stuff the anger judging it to be an unacceptable emotion, your anger will likely get stronger and &lsquo;pop up&rsquo; in some unexpected place.&nbsp; The collateral damages will be greater and you&rsquo;ll miss the gift. When it&rsquo;s time for these &lsquo;houseguests&rsquo; to leave, you&rsquo;ll know it.<br /><br /><strong>Consider these gifts next time you experience the following positive emotions. </strong><br /><br /><strong>Joy</strong> is the inner exhilaration you feel, oftentimes when accomplishing something like a great run or board presentation.&nbsp; It has nothing to do with anyone else, just you.&nbsp; The gift of joy is emotional energy, confidence, and a zest for living.<br /><br /><strong>Love</strong> is that flow of inexplicably optimistic feelings when exposed to someone or something that touches your heart.&nbsp; The gift is strong, positive relationships.<br /><br /><strong>Consider these gifts next time you experience perceived undesirable yet valuable emotions. </strong><br /><br /><strong>Anger,</strong> the second oldest emotion, following fear, is an intense emotion often carried over from childhood.&nbsp; The gifts are that it can ignite positive boundaries and change.<br /><br /><strong>Anxiety</strong> may have a specific focus like an upcoming presentation or might be a general feeling of being anxious (numbing, disoriented).&nbsp; The gift is that this confusion can stimulate clarity.<br /><br /><strong>Fear</strong>, the oldest of all human emotions, is a warning sign.&nbsp; It comes with a strong instinct for survival.&nbsp; The gift is that we are encouraged to move toward safety and self protection.<br /><br /><strong>Sadness</strong> reflects loss: ours or another&rsquo;s, current or past.&nbsp; The gift is that we often become more sensitive and compassionate, both to ourselves and others.<br /><br /><strong>Shame</strong> cuts deep and is related to &lsquo;not good enough&rsquo; or &lsquo;not doing enough&rsquo; which is often characterized by perfectionism. The gift of shame is humility.<br /><br />I invite you savvy leaders (and savvy leaders in the making) to recognize and honor your emotions.&nbsp; This does not mean that you openly reveal the flood of emotions you experience throughout the day.&nbsp; They are yours alone and this is a private, inside process.&nbsp; The more you name and notice your emotions, the more information and &lsquo;gifts&rsquo; they will provide to you.<br /><br />Stay tuned.&nbsp; We&rsquo;ll explore more exciting nuances of emotional intelligence next month.&nbsp; In the meantime, I invite your questions or observations on this topic.</p> 2009-10-19T17:12:17Z -1.3443 132 7002 true 17 42338 gifts-of-emotional-intelligence 0 2009-10-19T13:49:09Z 2009-10-19T18:49:24Z

Your emotional intelligence plays a critical role in your career.

1 2009-10-19T18:49:24Z