Emotional Intelligence: The Social Skills You Weren't Taught in School

How to Be Emotionally Intelligent Photo What makes a great leader? Knowledge, smarts and vision, to be sure. To that, , author of “Leadership: The Power of Emotional Intelligence,” would add the ability to identify and monitor emotions — your own and others’ — and to manage relationships. Qualities associated with such “emotional intelligence” distinguish the best leaders in the corporate world, according to Mr. Realistic self-confidence: You understand your own strengths and limitations; you operate from competence and know when to rely on someone else on the team. Emotional insight: You understand your feelings. Resilience: You stay calm under pressure and recover quickly from upsets. Emotional balance: You keep any distressful feelings in check — instead of blowing up at people, you let them know what’s wrong and what the solution is. Self-motivation: You keep moving toward distant goals despite setbacks. Team playing: People feel relaxed working with you. Continue reading the main story

Happiness Hacks: 10 Ways to Infuse Your Life with Joy “There is no way to happiness. Happiness is the way.” ~Thich Nhat Hanh Life seems complicated these days. We’re all busy pursuing happiness, yet how many of us ever reach that goal? Success, money, and busyness are top of our priority list, yet deep in our hearts we’d prefer time, love, and security. It’s the age of making a living, but perhaps at the cost of making a life. What really makes us happy, and how do we find it? I spent many years trying to fit in, to be someone else, to pursue the dream of success, in my jobs and my relationships. I collected material things, often at the cost of what really mattered, and I was left unfulfilled as a result. I quit my corporate job and left my long-term relationship to go on a journey of self-discovery. 1. We live in a world where we are surrounded by ideals, and with a tendency to compare ourselves to others, it’s no wonder so many of us feel like we’re not enough. I’d tell myself that writing was a hobby, not a “real job.” 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Information for Women and Girls with ADD (ADHD) Whether you're a woman with ADD or ADHD or the parent of a daughter with the disorder, you have probably struggled to find anyone in your community who understands you or your daughter, someone who has experience in diagnosing or treating ADHD in females. What you have told us... Many women with ADHD tell us that the professionals they consult insist their problems are only related to anxiety or depression. Many mothers write saying that their daughters with ADHD are often overlooked in the classroom or misunderstood by their teachers. An understanding ADHD in girls and women is very recent and few professionals have the information and experience that you need. What is clear is that ADHD in girls and women can look very different, and that girls and women often have very different challenges. Our response... If you are wondering whether you or your daughter might have ADD or ADHD here are some questionnaires and articles to help you get started in your search for answers.

How To Get People To Like You: 7 Ways From An FBI Behavior Expert Before we commence with the festivities, I wanted to thank everyone for helping my first book become a Wall Street Journal bestseller. To check it out, click here. Meeting new people can be awkward. What should you say? How can you make a good impression? How do you keep a conversation going? Research shows relationships are vital to happiness and networking is the key to getting jobs and building a fulfilling career. But what’s the best way to build rapport and create trust? Robin Dreeke can. Robin was head of the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Program and has studied interpersonal relations for over 27 years. Robin is the author of the excellent book, It’s Not All About “Me”: The Top Ten Techniques for Building Quick Rapport with Anyone. I gave him a call to get some answers. You’re going to learn: And a lot more. 1) The Most Important Thing To Do With Anyone You Meet Robin’s #1 piece of advice: “Seek someone else’s thoughts and opinions without judging them.” Ask questions. Here’s Robin: Sum Up

Why Talented People Don’t Use Their Strengths Executive Summary Experts have long encouraged people to “play to their strengths.” But based on my observations, this is easier said than done, because we often undervalue what we inherently do well. As a leader, the challenge is not only to spot talent but also to convince your people that you value their talents and that they should, too. If you watched the Super Bowl a few months ago, you probably saw the coaches talking to each other over headsets during the game. When McKenna-Doyle was hired, she observed that a number of her people were struggling, but not because they weren’t talented — because they weren’t in roles suited to their strengths. Cave had the talent to create products and build things. Experts have long encouraged people to “play to their strengths.” Often our “superpowers” are things we do effortlessly, almost reflexively, like breathing. Begin by identifying the strengths of each member of your team. What exasperates you? What compliments do you dismiss?

Stephen Covey on Developing Emotional Intelligence “I don’t want to be at the mercy of my emotions. I want to use them, to enjoy them, and to dominate them.” ? Oscar Wilde Emotional Intelligence is essentially an ability, capacity, or skill to assess, manage, and regulate the emotions of yourself and others. Why is emotional intelligence such a big deal? If you can’t manage your emotions, you crumble or snap under stress. If you can’t tune into others’ emotions and demonstrate empathy, you’ll have a hard time connecting with others. Yeah, emotional intelligence is a big deal. It’s a key for leaders and it’s a key for leadership. “”No one cares how much you know until they first know how much you care about them.” In the book, The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness, Stephen Covey acknowledges that there’s a lack of literature on how to develop emotional intelligence, and shares an approach for how to develop emotional intelligence using the 7 Habits. The Five Primary Components of Emotional Intelligence The 7 Habits and Principles

10 Lists To Keep If You Want To Be Successful The human mind is truly incredible, and we should all strive towards creating a tenacious memory we can rely on. Many lucrative professions or hobbies require such a trait—actors, musicians, artists and entertainers in general do countless drills, just so the required information can be embedded in the memory with certainty. Clearly numerous doors that lead to a successful future are unlocked if one has a great memory. Although beneficial, it is not an essential ingredient within the success formula—what you lack in memory can always be compensated with diligence. Keeping track of crucial elements in your life through list-making is still an unrivaled tactic for counterbalancing feeble recollection. 1. “What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” Goals and ambition is what drives us and motivates us, but we need to ask ourselves what is it that we want in order to feel truly accomplished. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Mid-life Transitions for Women with ADD (ADHD) Kathleen Nadeau, Ph.D. In midlife, a woman with ADD (ADHD) makes major transitions. Biologically, she goes through perimenopause and enters menopause. It is critical for a woman with ADD (ADHD) to be aware of the powerful interaction of ADD (ADHD) symptoms and declining estrogen levels. In mid-life, the opportunity to re-design her lifestyle beckons, if a woman with ADD (ADHD) will heed its call. A woman in mid-life may feel entrapped by the expectations of others. Because people with ADD (ADHD) tend to be "reactive" to their environment, women with ADD (ADHD) may face a particularly difficult challenge when they try to stop focusing on the expectations of others and focus more on their own needs and desires. Finding a new Balance The primary mid-life goal for a woman with ADD (ADHD) is to create a new sense of balance in her life - balance within herself, and balance between herself and significant others. Finding new directions after the "merry-go-round" has stopped Getting There

A Simple Exercise to Strengthen Emotional Intelligence in Teams By Gayle Allen “She needs every detail before we start, and it slows us down.” “He acts before we agree on a plan, so we make a lot of mistakes.” Sound familiar? Yet it’s been shown that working as a member of an effective team can boost morale and performance. What that means for educators is that emotional intelligence in the form of skills like empathy and collaboration is more important than ever. Quick Preparation This activity is based on the Compass Points protocol developed by members of the National School Reform Faculty, a non-profit professional development site for educators. To prepare, you’ll want to create the four signs – North, South, East and West – in advance and post them on room walls before you begin. The Activity (Level 1: 20 minutes) If you have only 20 minutes, you’ll want to stick to the protocol and also allow 2-3 minutes at the end for a takeaway wrap up. Once selected, each group will have 5-8 minutes to respond to the following questions: 1. Useful at Any Stage