EQ for World Leaders Podcast | Emotional Intelligence | Politics | Leadership | Empathy | Decision making | Make an Impact

In this and the next 8 episodes we are looking closer into the role emotional intelligence plays in politics.

I am answering the 10 most common questions people are not asking us, but should and the question I am answering today is:

Why hasn’t EQ burst into politics until now?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Plato and it goes like this:

No real social change has ever been brought about without a revolution... revolution is but thought carried into action.

Emma Goldman

It has but not in a structured way as we propose. There are many politicians of any level that are able to Perceive, Understand, and Navigate emotions. As they can connect with people and regulate their inner states, this has however been quite unusual and it has come in by chance.

What we want is to show is that Emotional Abilities can be trained on purpose and that there are tools and steps to increase the emotional quotient as a person who is in a political responsibility.

An appreciation of the links between emotions and power highlights that even if they are individual, emotions are always also collective and political. They frame what is and is not possible in politics. They reveal and conceal, enable and disable.

They do so in ways that are inaudible and seemingly a political which is precisely how they become political in the most profound and enduring manner: links between emotions and power shape the contours and content of world politics all while erasing the traces of doing so.

The task of international relations researchers is to locate, redraw and expose these traces.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 9 episodes we are looking closer into the role emotional intelligence plays in politics

I am answering the10 most common questions people are not asking us, but should and the question I am answering today is:

Why are emotions so important in politics?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Plato and it goes like this:

One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.

Plato

Because emotions and emotional states affect our thinking, our judgement and our decisions.

In the past decade research on emotions in world politics has undergone a radical transformation.

Having begun largely as a push to critique the long-hold opposition of emotion and reason, a growing number of inter-national relations researchers now see emotions as an intrinsic part of the social realm and therefore also of world politics.

Emotions have consequently been explored for new insights into a wide range of traditional and non-traditional political phenomena. It has even become common to speak of an emotional turn.

Stay tune to find out more...

In this and the next episode we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

Doesn’t EQ mean manipulating people?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Daniel Goleman and it goes like this:

"Emotions are contagious. We've all known it experientially. You know after you have a really fun coffee with a friend, you feel good. When you have a rude clerk in a store, you walk away feeling bad."

Daniel Goleman

When you think of a "perfect leader," what comes to mind?

You might picture someone who never lets his temper get out of control, no matter what problems he's facing. Or you might think of someone who has the complete trust of her staff, listens to her team, is easy to talk to, and always makes careful, informed decisions.

There is a lot of things you can use to manipulate people; marketing, sales, leadership. And if you want to use EQ to manipulate people, feel free to do so, it is YOUR choice.

However, if you choose to do so, it says very little about emotional intelligence and a lot about who you are as a person, your character, your integrity and your personality. People are not stupid, they will see through your disguise.

And when they have figured out that you have been dishonest and have been lying to them, they will never have faith in you again, good luck in gaining their trust back.

Some say that those with high EQ can easily manipulate people. They say that if you can accurately „read” people, find out their needs, values and weaknesses, if you can get under their skin, you can make them do anything.

Obviously, these ideas come from people who don’t have a very high EQ and don’t understand what emotional intelligence is about.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next episode we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

Why is EQ important to every leader?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Daniel Goleman and it goes like this:

"If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions, if you can't have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far."

Daniel Goleman

When you think of a "perfect leader," what comes to mind?

You might picture someone who never lets his temper get out of control, no matter what problems he's facing. Or you might think of someone who has the complete trust of her staff, listens to her team, is easy to talk to, and always makes careful, informed decisions.

When asked to identify the necessary traits for leaders, most would propose answers that fall within a wide range of topics.

Charisma, purpose, determination – these are just a few of the traits that are typically used to define a leader. However, many leaders have a single quality in common.

In short, what distinguishes the best leaders from the majority is their level of emotional intelligence.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 2 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

How does EQ help me make better decisions?

It is scientifically proven that over 95% of our neural networks are hidden from our conscious mind, meaning that our decisions are influenced consciously to a degree of maximum 5%. I know it is terrifying to know that we have absolutely no idea most of the time what is happening in our brain, and that this gorgeous machine controls our body without us having a major influence to it.

Emotional Intelligence for me means to understand the way your brain interacts with the environment and teach it to change that behavior, according to my conscious needs.

I use to say that our feelings express the reality that our brain percieves, not the reality that we perceive rationally. If I feel fear, it means that part of me considers I am one way or the other threatened. If I can understand what part, why and how it feels threatened, that means that I understand a deeper part of me and then I can teach it to overcome the fear.

Emotional intelligence can help us discover the reality of our instinctive brain and adjust our behavior to harmonize the two realities that we live in, the conscious-one and the subconscious-one.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 3 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

Why hasn’t anybody talked about EQ until a few years ago?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Kathleen Spike and it goes like this:

"There are certain emotions that will kill your drive; frustration and confusion. You can change these to a positive force. Frustration means you are on the verge of a breakthrough. Confusion can mean you are about to learn something. Expect the breakthrough and expect to learn."

Kathleen Spike, Master Certified Coach

Even if the conversations has increased recently, there is still too little practical advice how to incorporate emotional intelligence in our daily life.

In the last 30 years the research has improved and gotten better, however there is still a great work that needs to be done, both in the research as well on a practical level.

Even thou the view on emotional intelligence is much better in the States than the rest of the world, the discussion is still based on a theory.

Even thou the research is very important aspect of emotional intelligence, I feel that there is much more focus on the theory instead of the actual application of emotional intelligence in our daily life and work.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 4 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

If I raise my EQ, will I become an emotional person?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from Tara Meyer Robson and it goes like this:

"When awareness is brought to an emotion, power is brought to your life."

– Tara Meyer Robson

That is an absolutely NO, but…

Emotions happen. Studies show us that on a casual day, we have over 20.000 (yes, twenty thousand) distinct emotional reactions to our surroundings.

At the end of the day some people may ask you how is your day and your answer is was is that it is usually fine, great or it sucked. Out of those twenty thousand distinct reactions we just draw an average.

Those emotional reactions actually influence and most of the time they drive us. Even though we don’t like to accept it, we are not aware of what is happening in the biggest areas of our brain.

Our conscious contribution to our decisions is at most 5% according to the new brain science. The rest is managed by the “uncontrolled” parts of our brain.

Emotional intelligence means to tap into this hidden world of emotional reactions and understand their meaning and influence.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 5 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

What is the main block in raising my EQ?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from the Joseph Fort Mewton and it goes like this:

We cannot tell what may happen to us in the strange medley of life. But we can decide what happens in us how we can take it, what we do with it and that is what really counts in the end.”

Joseph Fort Newton

What has been regarded as the keystone to emotional intelligence is self-awareness. By recognizing and understanding your emotions, you can take control over them instead of allowing them to control your actions.

By determining your own responses to certain stimuli, your professional development will increase ten-fold and make it easier for you to achieve those life goals you’ve set for yourself.

Raising your EQ is just like any other process of acquiring a new ability. You have to find a method and practice it long enough to make it a habit. With emotional intelligence however, the main block is about awareness.

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 6 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

Can EQ be learned and can it be raised?

It can be trained for sure. Emotional Intelligence is a set of skills and is something to be learned and trained. Because improving your EQ is not something that you can do in 48h, it is however something that you do day by day throughout the years of your life. You don’t learn to manage your stress in a couple of days.

You cannot become a great “emotional information user” in a week, or learn to define and follow your noble goals from your inner being in a month, it is something to train and strengthening over time!

The good news is that anyone can increase their EQ when doing it on purpose and intentionally!

Stay tuned to find out more...

In this and the next 7 episodes we are looking closer into what emotional intelligence is and how it can improve your personal as well your professional life.

I am answering the 10 most common questions we are being asked about emotional intelligence and the questions we are answering today is:

How do I know if I have low vs. high EQ?

Before I answer today’s question, I want to share today’s quote which is from the author of the book Parallel Universe of Self, Fredrick Dodson and it goes like this:

"An emotion does not cause pain. Resistance or suppression of emotion causes pain.”

Frederick Dodson, Parallel Universe of Self

Research has shown us that more than 90 percent of top leadership performers have a high amount of emotional intelligence, or as we call it EQ.

The higher up the ladder that leaders are, the more people they impact and their EQ becomes ever more important. The person at the top sets the atmosphere that fills the organization, including the emotional temperature.

Not only does a leader with low emotional intelligence have a negative impact on employee morale, it directly impacts staff retention. We know that the biggest reason that people leave an organization is the relationship with those above them in a leading position.

Stay tuned to find out more...