If I had to sum up succinctly what I feel is wrong in our country right now, I would say our emotional intelligence as a whole is in the basement. Emotional intelligence (EQ) is our ability to sense, understand and effectively apply the power and acumen of emotions to facilitate higher levels of collaboration and productivity (TTI Success Insights). EQ determines how we respond to emotionally charged situations, and by the looks of things, we are failing miserably.
I’m not just referring to individuals but also companies. The knee-jerk reactions are astounding and mind blowing. In both cases, there is a lack of control or redirect of disruptive impulses and moods, resulting in a propensity to suspend judgement to think before acting. A simple way of putting it is we are all about feelings and are tossing facts out the window.
For instance, big box stores like Bed, Bath & Beyond and Kohls have suspending selling My Pillow because the man met with our previous president. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! This is totally a feelings-based decision because they are offending more than half their customers. Where are the REAL fact checkers? Back in my corporate days as a marketing professional, we would have our pulse on our customer. In these cases, we would know that the people screaming and having temper tantrums about Michael J. Lindell, CEO of My Pillow, are actually NOT our customers. What they say is just feelings based and has no fact or relevance and should be disregarded. But with low emotional intelligence prevailing, emotionally-charged decisions are being made.
Low emotional intelligence is negatively impacting more than what products are sold. It is destroying people’s lives! People are losing their jobs over what political party they support. How is this just, fair or right? It isn’t. For those who celebrate such atrocities, I do hope Karma exists and finds you quickly.
As businesses, we need to step back from the emotions and get back to the facts. We need to do homework deeper than likes on a social media page. Social media is off the rails and cannot be trusted at this point. Too many organizations exist simply to stir the pot. If you are a business owner who is relying purely on what people tell you on social media, you get what you deserve.
If on the other hand you want facts and data, people like me can help get to the truth. We can sift through the lies, deceit, propaganda and emotional outbursts. My question is: will you have the guts to do what is right? I am shocked to see so many companies cowering to emotional threats. What has happened to our country? Where are the leaders?
The more we rely on emotions and the more we toss facts aside, the harder it will be to have meaningful, productive conversations, and that is going to damage our personal relationships as well…if it hasn’t already. I personally believe this is the agenda of our lame-stream media and our current administration. When we are emotional, we are easily manipulated and controlled, whether we are an individual or a company. They get what they want: power.
Facts are designed to help us keep emotions out of it and make intelligent decisions, but I’m not seeing much of that lately. The good news is that EQ can be increased, unlike your IQ. With a coach like me, you can grow your self and other’s awareness and discern better so that you don’t overreact. I like to say I will help you respond, not react. I have assessments and tools to help elevate your EQ individually or collectively. Give me a call! Perhaps with one person at a time we can begin to think rationally, leading to healthier conversations and positive change. Higher EQ is the way to get there, and that’s the fact Jack!
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