Tag: #emotionalintelligence

Maximising leadership potential: understanding the reticular activating system (RAS)

Leadership is a vital aspect of every organisation’s success. Great leaders can inspire and motivate their teams, boost productivity, and drive innovation. But what sets a great leader apart from an average one? Using the reticular activating system (RAS) well is important.

The RAS, a brainstem neurone network, controls wakefulness, attention, and focus. It filters out unimportant things and amplifies things that matter to us. This filter lets us handle lots of information while focusing on what’s most important.

How the RAS influences leadership development

Leadership is a complex skill that involves several interconnected cognitive and emotional processes. By understanding how the RAS works, leaders can fine-tune their approach to optimise their performance and impact. Here are some of the ways the RAS can influence leadership development:

Improving focus and attention

It’s very easy to become distracted and sidetracked at work and then wonder where the day has gone! The RAS helps leaders filter out irrelevant stimuli and maintain their focus on critical tasks and goals. By learning to activate and train the RAS, leaders can increase their attention span, reduce distractions, and enhance their overall productivity.

Boosting motivation and engagement

Motivation is essential for effective leadership. Leaders who are passionate and driven can inspire their teams to achieve outstanding results. The RAS motivates us by filtering information that matches our goals and interests. By leveraging the power of the RAS, leaders can stay motivated and engaged, even when faced with challenges or setbacks.

Enhancing creativity and innovation

Companies and organisations succeed through innovation. Leaders who can think creatively and generate new ideas can drive growth and gain a competitive advantage. The RAS plays a vital role in creativity by allowing us to see patterns and connections that others might miss. By training the RAS to identify relevant stimuli and make new connections, leaders can boost their creativity and generate innovative solutions to complex problems.

Training the RAS for maximum leadership potential

Like any other skill, being able to turn on and use the RAS takes practise and training. Here are some ways that leaders can train their RAS and make the most of their potential as leaders:

Set clear goals

The RAS is wired to prioritise information that aligns with our goals and interests. By setting clear, specific, and measurable goals, leaders can focus their RAS on the right stimuli and create a sense of purpose and direction.

Prioritise deep work

Deep work is a state of peak concentration that lets you learn hard things and create quality work quickly. Leaders can turn on their RAS and get into a state of flow by getting rid of distractions and focusing on one task. Prioritising deep work can also enhance creativity and boost productivity.

Use visualisation techniques

Visualization is a powerful technique that involves creating mental images of desired outcomes. By visualising success and positive outcomes, leaders can activate their RAS and create a sense of motivation and engagement. Visualisation can also help leaders stay focused on their goals and overcome obstacles.

Practise mindfulness

Mindfulness is the basic human ability to be fully present, aware of where we are and what we’re doing, and not overly reactive or overwhelmed by what’s going on around us. By practising mindfulness, leaders can activate their RAS and reduce distractions and stress. Mindfulness can also enhance creativity and improve decision-making.

The key takeaways

The reticular activating system (RAS), a neural network in the brainstem, helps filter out unimportant information and amplifies things that matter, allowing leaders to focus on critical tasks and goals.

The RAS can also boost motivation, enhance creativity and innovation, and improve overall productivity.

To train the RAS, leaders can set clear goals, prioritise deep work, use visualisation techniques, and practise mindfulness.

Leaders can reach their full potential and do great work if they understand and use the RAS well.

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Enhancing your social skills

Introduction

Welcome to our blog post about social skills and how to get along better with other people. If you’re reading this, you’re probably a manager, team member, or leader. Social skills are a huge part of success in any job, but they are especially important in the business world.

But what are social skills, really? Simply put, these are the skills that let you control and change the emotions of others. This lets you manage relationships well. These skills are important for leaders because they let you communicate and work well with your team, persuade and influence other people, inspire and lead, handle conflict, and deal with change.

In this blog post, we’ll be diving into these seven hallmarks of social skills and providing tips on how to enhance them. By the end of this post, you’ll have a better understanding of the importance of social skills in business and how to improve your own.

Seven hallmarks of social skills

Communication

Effective communication is the key to a healthy relationship, and the same is true in business. You need to be able to explain your thoughts and ideas clearly to share information with your team, make deals, and build trust with clients and coworkers.

Here are some tips for improving your communication skills:

  1. Practice active listening: This means you should give the person talking your full attention and not just wait for your turn to talk. You can show that you’re listening by nodding, making eye contact, and asking questions to help you understand.
  2. Be clear and concise: Try to get to the point quickly when you talk and don’t use jargon or technical terms that others might not understand.
  3. Use nonverbal cues: Your tone of voice, facial expressions, and body language can all affect how people understand what you’re saying. Know what these signs mean and use them to your advantage.

Collaboration and cooperation

As a leader, it’s important to be able to work effectively with your team and other departments within your organisation. This means being able to work with other people to reach the same goal.

Here are some tips for improving your collaboration and cooperation skills:

  1. Foster a positive team culture: Set up a place where people on the team feel comfortable sharing ideas and working together.
  2. Encourage open communication: Encourage your team to speak up and share their thoughts and ideas, even if they disagree with you.
  3. Be willing to compromise: No one person has all the answers, and in order to move forwards, it’s important to be open to other points of view and willing to make compromises.

Persuasion and influence

As a leader, you will frequently need to persuade others to see things your way or take certain actions. This can be hard to do if you have to deal with people who don’t want to change.

Here are some tips for improving your persuasion and influence skills:

  1. Use logic and data: Be sure to back up your ideas with facts and logical arguments when you present them. This will help make your case stronger.
  2. Appeal to emotions: Even though logic is important, it’s also important to remember that people are often moved by how they feel. Try to make an emotional connection with your audience and appeal to their values and wants.
  3. Build rapport: The better you know your audience, the more likely it is that they will trust you and follow your lead. Find something you have in common with them and show that you’re interested in them.

Inspirational leadership

Great leaders can get their teams to do their best work by inspiring and motivating them. To do this, you need charisma, a clear vision, and the ability to explain that vision well.

Here are some tips for improving your inspirational leadership skills:

  1. Clearly communicate your vision: Make sure everyone on your team knows what the organisation’s overall goals and direction are and how their work fits into that.
  2. Set high expectations. You should push your team to reach their full potential and be ready to help them get there.
  3. Set a good example for your team. If they see you working hard and being a reliable leader, they will be more likely to follow your lead.

Conflict management

Any team or organisation will have conflicts, and it’s important for a leader to be able to handle them well. This includes being able to identify problems and deal with them before they worsen, as well as finding constructive ways to resolve conflicts.

Here are some tips for improving your conflict management skills:

  1. Encourage open communication: encourage team members to talk about any problems or worries they have, and make it clear that it’s okay to disagree.
  2. Stay calm: During conflicts, it’s important to keep your cool and not let your feelings take over.
  3. Focus on the issue, not the person: Try not to attack people personally and keep your attention on solving the problem at hand.

Developing and maintaining relationships

Strong relationships are the key to success in any field, and as a leader, it’s important to be able to build and keep relationships with your team, clients, and colleagues. To do this, you need to be able to communicate well and build trust and rapport.

Here are some tips for improving your relationship-building skills:

  1. Be authentic: If people feel like they know the real you, they are more likely to trust you and connect with you. Don’t be afraid to be honest and straightforward.
  2. Show appreciation: Take the time to thank your team and let them know how much they’ve helped. This builds a good team culture and makes relationships stronger.
  3. Be reliable: Do what you say you’re going to do, and keep your promises. This makes people more likely to trust you and shows that they can count on you.

Change management

Change is a constant in the business world, and it’s important for a leader to be able to deal with it well. This means being able to talk about and implement changes in a way that causes as little trouble as possible and gets as much support as possible from your team.

Here are some tips for improving your change management skills:

  1. Communicate clearly: Make sure that your team knows why the change was made and how it will affect them.
  2. Involve your team: Include your team in the process of change and ask for their thoughts. This helps people agree with the change and feel like they own it.
  3. Be flexible. Change can bring about surprises, so be ready to be flexible and change as needed.

The key takeaways

In this blog post, we’ve covered the seven hallmarks of social skills and provided tips on how to enhance them. Whether you’re a manager, a leader, or part of a team, these skills are crucial for success in the business world. By improving your communication, collaboration, and cooperation skills, as well as your persuasion and influence, inspirational leadership, conflict management, relationship-building, and change management skills, you’ll be ready to handle any business challenge that comes your way.

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Developing empathy

Introduction

Empathy is a baffling and elusive concept. It’s crucial for leaders to understand and feel others’ emotions.

In the business world, empathy is crucial for effective communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork.

In this blog post, we will explore the importance of developing empathy in the business world and how it can benefit managers, leaders, and teams. We will also discuss some practical ways that individuals can work on improving their own empathy skills.

The importance of empathy in the business world

  1. Empathy can improve business relationships with coworkers, customers, and clients. We communicate and build trust better when we can relate to and understand others’ experiences and feelings. In this unpredictable and unstable world, clear and open communication is the key to success.
  2. Empathetic managers and leaders make workplaces pleasant. They can make their team members feel like they belong by showing them understanding and compassion. This boosts productivity, job satisfaction, and retention.
  3. Empathy is also crucial for resolving conflicts. Managers and teams can resolve conflicts and improve collaboration by seeing things from others’ perspectives.
  4. Lastly, businesses can also use empathy to help them deal with customers and clients. Understanding and caring about customers’ needs helps businesses meet their expectations and build strong relationships. Any business needs customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Practical ways to develop empathy

How can we work on improving our empathy skills?

These practical methods may or may not work.

  1. Active listening—listening without interrupting and trying to understand the other person—is said to improve empathy.
  2. Embrace vulnerability: Being honest about our feelings and experiences, even if it feels uncomfortable, can help build trust and a sense of community.
  3. Diverse perspectives can help us understand and relate to others.
  4. Mindfulness can help us care about others.

Addressing potential objections

Some businesspeople don’t think empathy is necessary or even helpful for success.

Some say empathising shows weakness or a lack of assertiveness.

Although empathy can assist you in making decisions, no one knows whether it is a success trait or not.

Empathy may not be teachable, either.

The strategies above may not help people become more empathetic.

The key takeaways

In the end, empathy is a mysterious trait that is important for business success.

It enhances collaboration, problem-solving, and communication.

But it’s not clear how well strategies for building empathy work, and some people may wonder if empathy is always a necessary or helpful trait for success.

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Increasing your self-motivation

Introduction

Self-motivation is important for anyone who wants to reach their goals and be successful in life, but it is especially important for people who work in business.

As a manager, leader, or team member, being able to keep yourself motivated can have a direct effect on the success of a project or the company as a whole.

In this article, we’ll talk about how important self-motivation is in the business world and give you some tips on how to motivate yourself more.

What is self-motivation?

Self-motivation is the driving force behind achieving our goals and pushing ourselves to be our best selves. It is the internal drive that keeps us going when things get tough and helps us stay focused on what we want to accomplish.

Reasons for increasing self-motivation at work

In a business context, self-motivation is essential for a number of reasons.

First and foremost, self-motivated individuals are more likely to take ownership of their work and take initiative to complete tasks and projects. This is especially important in a leadership role, where motivating yourself and others is the key to success.

Self-motivated employees are also more likely to solve problems in a proactive way, which can help a team or company be more efficient and productive as a whole.

How can we increase self-motivation?

But how can we increase our own self-motivation? Here are a few tips:

  1. Set clear and achievable goals. Having a clear idea of what we want to accomplish can help us focus our efforts and give us a sense of purpose. Make sure to set specific and measurable goals that are realistic and achievable within a reasonable timeframe.
  2. Find your motivation. Take the time to understand what drives you and use it to your advantage. Whether it’s a sense of accomplishment, the desire to succeed or the opportunity to make a difference, finding your own personal motivation can help fuel your self-motivation.
  3. Get organised. Being organised can help reduce stress and improve efficiency, which can in turn boost your motivation. Consider implementing time management techniques or using tools like to-do lists and calendars to help keep you on track.
  4. Seek out new challenges. Pushing ourselves to try new things and take on new challenges can help to keep us engaged and motivated. Seek out opportunities to learn and grow, and don’t be afraid to take on tasks that may be outside of your comfort zone.
  5. Surround yourself with motivated individuals. The people we surround ourselves with can have a big impact on our own motivation levels. Seek out individuals who are self-motivated and driven, and consider joining a group or community where you can share ideas and support one another.

The key takeaways

Self-motivation is a crucial trait for anyone looking to succeed in the business world. By setting clear goals, finding your motivation, getting organised, seeking out new challenges, and surrounding yourself with motivated individuals, you can increase your own self-motivation and achieve your goals.

Self-motivation is an ongoing process, so it’s important to check in with yourself often and make changes as needed. 

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Strategies for boosting self-regulation

This lesson will teach you about emotional self-regulation. First, you’ll learn to define this term and identify five self-regulation components required for leadership success. Then, you’ll learn five tips for improving your self-regulation skills.

What is self-regulation?

Self-regulation, also known as self-management or self-discipline, is the capacity to manage one’s emotions and conduct. In order to regulate your emotions, rather than burying or ignoring them, you focus on how you respond to situations.

Self-regulation skills allow you to keep your cool and react appropriately to different situations. And with that, you can avoid acting rashly, recover quickly from setbacks, and relax even when experiencing intense emotions. Simply put, self-regulation places you in charge of your emotions and reactions rather than your environment or other people.

The five elements of self-regulation

Self-regulation has five essential elements for leadership success: self-control, trustworthiness, conscientiousness, adaptability and innovation.

Self-control

How well you control your behaviour, regulate your emotions, and rein in your impulses is referred to as having “self-control.” High self-control leaders are logical and composed. They establish an orderly and stable workplace and effectively convey their messages.

Trustworthiness

You’re more likely to behave consistently and morally when you’re adept at controlling your emotional behaviour. That establishes you as a trustworthy leader who doesn’t give in to erratic actions in the eyes of your team. Regardless of any potential emotional setbacks, your team knows they can rely on you.

Conscientiousness

Your level of discipline and responsibility is referred to as conscientiousness. You will accept responsibility for your performance rather than place the blame for your actions on your team or outside factors. Conscientious leaders control their emotions, keep their word, and set an example for their team.

Adaptability

Adaptability is how well you can deal with sudden changes and stress that comes out of nowhere. If you don’t have this trait, you might break under pressure or show a lot of stress, anxiety, and worry when things aren’t clear. Your staff will only be scared by such actions. So, to be effective, you need to be good at figuring out whether your responses will lead to good or bad results.

Innovation

You’re more likely to see obstacles as learning opportunities and to be receptive to novel concepts if you have strong self-regulation. You’ll take a step back and cultivate a mental state that enables you to think creatively and come up with fresh, original ideas rather than getting mired in a problem or sinking during times of workplace turbulence.

Five tips for improving self-regulation

So, how can you improve your self-regulation skills?

Rather than avoiding your feelings or seeking temporary distractions, you’ll need to confront those emotions head-on and learn to deal with them effectively. In this section, you’ll learn five tips for improving your self-regulation.

Prepare for the emotion. Consider methods for calming down before an emotion arises.

Practice mindful observation. Mindfully observe your feelings without judgment.

Take time to STOPP. Stop, take a breath, observe your feelings, pull back before taking action, and then proceed.

Practice letting go. Don’t let yourself become consumed by unfavourable feelings. Instead, set your sights on the years to come.

Reframe through cognitive reappraisal. You can reframe your thoughts by adjusting how you interpret the events that have occurred.

The key takeaways

Self-regulation is the capacity to manage one’s emotions and conduct. It allows you to keep your cool and react appropriately to different situations. High self-control leaders establish an orderly and stable workplace.

You’re more likely to behave consistently and morally when you’re adept at controlling your emotional behaviour. You’re more likely to see obstacles as learning opportunities and to be receptive to novel concepts if you have strong self-regulation.

You’ll cultivate a mental state that enables you to think creatively and come up with fresh, original ideas.

Five tips for improving your self-regulation skills: prepare for the emotion; practice mindful observation; take time to STOPP; practice letting go, and reframe through cognitive reappraisal.

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How to invest in your teams with EQ training

It is obvious why having technical and business skills is crucial in today’s modern workplace. For instance, both of these qualities are necessary for roles in sales and marketing, IT, human resources, and finance. However, emotional intelligence is frequently a quality that is disregarded.

Our capacity to recognise and manage our own emotional states while also being aware of the emotional states of those around us is known as emotional intelligence (EQ). It all comes down to awareness!

Unfortunately, not every worker is adept at handling emotions. The good news is that emotional intelligence is something that can be taught!

Introduction

Emotional intelligence is something companies look for when hiring new employees. Many companies are also investing in and teaching emotional intelligence to help their existing employees grow.

In this session, we will explore why emotional intelligence training is vital to company success and the major benefits of investing in EQ training for your employees. We’ll also explore how to get buy-in from stakeholders and some of the challenges to convincing people of the value of this training.

Finally, we’ll provide some ideas for conducting EQ training, discuss the use of EQ assessments, and provide some links to tools and resources to get you started.

Why is EQ training good for employees?

Emotional intelligence training for employees builds the necessary skills to succeed in business. This type of training program should focus on awareness, control, social, and relationship skills. Some people have natural emotional intelligence, but most need help. Emotional intelligence training is vital to any company’s L&D strategy.

Business benefits of emotional intelligence training

Emotional intelligence predicts job performance from leaders to frontline workers (particularly in jobs with high levels of interpersonal contact). It boosts job satisfaction and reduces burnout. Emotional intelligence improves collaboration and relationships (either between management and employees or between colleagues). As workplace diversity rises, it’s crucial.

Employees and managers should learn to manage their own and others’ emotions. Emotionally intelligent employees will ensure the organisation operates effectively, and efficiently, and follows standards. However, sometimes it takes a bit of convincing for managers and employees to embrace emotional intelligence training.

One of the best ways is to state some of the major business benefits of emotional intelligence training:

Reduces stress

High-EQ employees can manage their reactions to others’ emotions, recognise and control their own negative feelings, take responsibility for their reactions, and manage their expectations. Emotional intelligence training helps teams work under stress.

Assists staff to advance to the next level

Emotional intelligence training helps employees develop leadership and character skills. That means staying calm under pressure, being considerate of irate customers and employees, and approaching problems methodically. A team member who has reached their peak can become a leader with the right training.

Assists employees in overcoming their fears, apprehensions, and insecurities

Have you ever had the impression that some members of your team had trouble moving past setbacks or disappointments? If so, employing emotional intelligence training can give them the skills they need to become more resilient and advance in a positive manner.

Teaches staff how to react to constructive criticism

Your team will avoid acting and speaking defensively with emotional intelligence training. They’ll recognise and be able to control negative emotions.

Enhances communication skills

Instead of expressing their (usually negative) emotions, your team will learn to recognise them, take responsibility for them, and communicate what they need.

Increases tolerance for frustration

Emotional intelligence training helps employees deal with frustrations. This results in better employee interactions and customer service.

Improves social skills

During the pandemic and more recently, employees spent less time talking to each other because there were more teams that worked from home. With the workforce spread out around the world and fewer face-to-face meetings, that can hurt employees’ ability to get along with other people. With training in emotional intelligence, teams will have some tools to help them get along in social situations.

Teaches staff how to spot potential risks to their mental health

Emotional intelligence at work is not just something that employees need to learn. It should also be required of those in charge. These courses can teach leaders how to spot signs that an employee or even an entire team is having trouble, such as negative emotions, poor coping skills, and other signs.

Fosters a positive environment

During emotional intelligence training, one of the things people learn is how to be aware. In particular, they learn that if they don’t control their emotions, they can hurt other people. Also, they will learn to recognise times when they can be good role models.

Shows staff their limitations

Emotional intelligence training doesn’t eliminate negative emotions. It provides tools and techniques for coping. This training helps employees recognise their feelings and limits. Then they can plan their interactions and activities with others.

Assists staff in adjusting to change and uncertainty

If employees have been properly trained, they can accept change, figure out the best way to respond to it, and make changes that are good for the business.

Enhances sense of responsibility

High-EQ employees can own their mistakes. When they fail, they can control their emotions and focus on problem-solving.

Improves leadership

Team managers can draw intelligent conclusions when they use EQ to understand employee emotions and responses. They can identify each team member’s motivators and demotivators. This helps identify ways to boost employee engagement and productivity.

Increases team or group cohesion

By fostering a sense of empathy among team members and ensuring that they are aware of each other’s issues, emotional intelligence training can provide teams with the foundation they need to work together productively. It enables the team to give collaboration and communication top priority.

Enhances customer service

An employee who has received EQ training will be able to: identify and manage their own negative emotions; demonstrate empathy for the customer; work towards a solution without letting their emotions get in the way; and cultivate intelligence over emotions. Even the ability to turn negative interactions into positive ones can be learned with the help of emotional intelligence.

Building your emotional intelligence training program

So, now you know why emotional intelligence training is vital to company success and the major benefits of investing in EQ training for your employees. We’ve also explored how to get buy-in from stakeholders and some of the challenges to convincing people of the value of this training.

In this section, we’ll provide some ideas for conducting EQ training, discuss the use of EQ assessments, and provide some links to resources to get you started.

Use blended learning

Blended learning is the most effective method for emotional intelligence training. During classroom instruction, participants can act out role plays, have discussions, and interpret scenarios using feedback. Participants will comprehend the material better if the learning materials that were covered in person are reinforced online using a learning management system (LMS). You ought to be able to track training metrics for live webinars and in-person training sessions in addition to the efficiency of online training with the appropriate LMS. You must include emotional intelligence training in your training schedule, which should be carried out and completed every three months.

Include tests and quizzes

Learners can better understand a lesson’s key concepts by using online tests and quizzes. Additionally, it keeps students more engaged and enhances the training course experience for their training program. When creating online tests and quizzes, trainers frequently use a variety of question types, including multiple-choice, true or false, and matching tests. As a result, the course is more engaging, and the subject matter doesn’t get too dry.

Try It Out in Real Life

After the training is over, having your students practice in their regular environments is a simple way to get them to use their EQ skills.

Useful resources and links

Psychology Today

146 questions • free

It takes about 45 minutes to complete.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/tests/personality/emotional-intelligence-test

Mind Tools

15 questions • free

Take Mind Tools Quiz

Institute for Health and Human Potential

17 questions • free

Take the IHHP Quiz

The key takeaways

Emotional intelligence is something companies look for when hiring new employees. Many companies are also investing in and teaching emotional intelligence to help their existing employees grow.

This training should focus on awareness, control, social, and relationship skills. It’s vital to any company’s L&D strategy.

Emotional intelligence training helps employees develop leadership and character skills.

A team member who has reached their peak can become a leader with the right training.

Training should also be required of those in charge, so leaders can spot signs that an employee or entire team is having trouble.

High-EQ employees can own their mistakes and focus on problem-solving.

Team managers can draw intelligent conclusions when they use EQ to understand employee emotions.

The ability to turn negative interactions into positive ones can be learned with the help of emotional intelligence training for employees.

You must include emotional intelligence training in your training schedule, which should be carried out every three months.

Participants can better understand a lesson’s key concepts by using online tests and quizzes.

You ought to be able to track training metrics for live webinars and in-person training sessions.

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Improving your self-awareness

Self-awareness is knowing how external stimuli affect internal reality. Basic mindfulness involves recognising emotions and their effects. Self-aware people can:

  • Identify and label their emotions.
  • Know why they feel a certain way.
  • Learn how emotions affect their behaviour and that of other people.

People who are self-aware have a strong sense of identity; they know who they are and what their goals and interests are.

3 types of self-awareness

There are three types of self-awareness: emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, and self-confidence.

Emotional self-awareness. Being emotionally aware means being aware of how you feel. For example, are you happy, sad, scared, or something else? And being aware of your feelings means knowing how they might affect the way you think, act, and do your job.

Accurate self-assessment. Self-assessment involves knowing your emotional strengths, weaknesses, and limits. For example, you know you may yell when frustrated, angry, or stressed.

Self-confidence. Knowing your emotional tendencies boosts self-confidence. Self-confident people don’t let surprises shake them. They know who they are and can communicate effectively.

The importance of self-awareness

Without self-awareness, we ignore our emotions and become victims. If we don’t acknowledge our emotions, they may control our decisions, influence our actions, and hurt our performance.

With self-awareness, we can stop negative behaviours, cope with stress and emotions, understand our motivations and values, empathise with others, strengthen our relationships, and become more assertive.

5 Tips for Improving Self-Awareness

So, what can you do to become more self-aware? The first step is to listen and ask questions.

Feel and accept your emotions

Emotions give us information, so we shouldn’t try to hide them or hold them in. Instead of trying to fight them, focus on how you feel. Give them names, sit down with them, and let them do what they need to do. Ask yourself, “How do I feel right now?” and “Why did I choose this label?” on a regular basis. When you recognise and accept something, you become aware of it.

Keep a reflective journal

Practice emotional reflection. Keep a journal of your day’s events. What did you do? “Working late today made me angry and bitter.” After getting home, I ignored my family. You’ll notice patterns in a journal. You’ll recognise emotional triggers and responses.

Notice your physical reactions

Our bodies store emotion. Anxiety causes sweaty palms, a fast heartbeat, and tight muscles. By recognising these reactions, you can understand your internal signals before noticing the emotion. Make it a habit to do body scans when you’re relaxed or returning home from a stressful day. Ask yourself, “How are my breathing, heart rate, and muscles? Are they different from normal?”

Reflect with “what” questions

When we reflect on our emotions, we tend to focus on “why” rather than “what.” “Why did I yell at everyone?” we wonder. “Why was I so nervous?” However, when asked “why,” we frequently invent our own answers and place blame. “I have an anger problem,” we say, or “I’m just a nervous person.” Instead, try to figure out what is going on to increase self-awareness. For example, you might ask: “What about the experience made me nervous? What did this situation have in common with previous encounters?”

Seek regular feedback

Sometimes our thoughts and actions clash. Others may perceive your assertiveness as bullying. Ask senior leaders, peers, and subordinates for feedback often. By asking for and accepting feedback, you’ll learn how others see you.

The key takeaways

Self-awareness is knowing how external stimuli affect internal reality. Being emotionally aware means being aware of how you feel and how that might affect the way you think, act, and do your job.

There are three types of self-awareness: emotional self-awareness, accurate self-assessment, and self-confidence.

Ask yourself, “How do I feel right now?” and “Why did I choose this label?” on a regular basis.

Make it a habit to do body scans when you’re relaxed or returning home from a stressful day.

Ask senior leaders, peers, and subordinates for feedback often. By asking for and accepting feedback, you’ll learn how others see you.

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