Las Vegas Glass and Mirrored wall
I am so excited to introduce this guest blog by Jackie B. Peterson, author of the book, Better, Smarter, Richer-7 Business Principles for Encore, Creative, and Solo Entrepreneurs. Her mentorship and teaching have been invaluable as I have been working my way through building my business and practice. Learn what she has to say about Emotional Intelligence and Success today in our business lives.
EI and Success in the World of 21st-Century Businesses
by Jackie B. Peterson
Fay Putnam is not just a dear friend of mine—she is one of my star students. I’ve been working with small businesses and solopreneurs for more than three decades, encouraging people to find their deep and narrow niche as I help them make a living by doing what they love, and I never get tired of bringing up Fay’s example: I am filled with admiration for the way she has used Breath is the Answer to integrate her passions for voice and teaching with her training in the Alexander Technique—truly locating her deep and narrow niche—and many of my clients have found her story incredibly useful as they embark on their own solopreneurial journeys.
You see, I like to call this the age of the solopreneur (did you know that 78.5% of small businesses never hire employees?!), which means that Fay’s business model is on the absolute cutting edge.
But it’s not just her business model: her focus on breath and authentic voice ties right in to all the latest wisdom surrounding successful 21st-century businesses.
It’s no secret that the world of work has changed radically. This cultural shift is marked largely by the increasing importance of flexibility, resilience, transparency, trust, and relationships…and emotional intelligence plays a huge role in all of these.
That means that emotional intelligence is perhaps the most important element of successful businesses today.
But what exactly is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence, or EI, is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups. The attributes of EI include self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. It has to do with recognizing your own emotions; controlling impulsive feelings and behaviors (rather than simply reacting); understanding the needs and concerns of other people; and communicating clearly with teams, groups, and individuals.
Sound familiar?
I’m reminded of one of Fay’s recent posts on self criticism and mindfulness: “I challenge you to pause and breathe,” she writes. “Become more mindful of the truth that resounds in your own voice. You just may discover it is more beautiful and inspirational than you ever imagined.”
Emotional intelligence—this key element of business in the 21st century (not to mention almost every other part of our modern-day lives!)—is available to all of us, but sometimes we have to do some work in order to access it and unleash the beautiful, inspirational truth of our own inner voices. EI is related to maturity, which means that many baby boomers and seniors have particularly high levels of it; however, struggle and trauma of various kinds, including loss (whether it’s of a person, good health, or a long-time career) can cause us to regress and actually lose some of the EI we’ve been developing over a lifetime.
Which is why it’s so important to “pause and breathe,” in Fay’s lovely words.
Next time you find yourself in the clutches of a difficult emotion, reacting without thinking, or struggling to communicate clearly, try taking a moment to tap into your breath. Think of it as an EI-building exercise, and remind yourself how important emotional intelligence is to every part of your wellbeing: physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, and financial.
Jackie B. Peterson is a coach, consultant, and speaker based in Portland, Ore. She is the author of Better, Smarter, Richer: 7 Business Principles for Encore, Solo, and Creative Entrepreneurs, and you can visit her on the web at www.BetterSmarterRicher.com or email her at jackieb@jackiebpeterson.com. To learn more about emotional intelligence and its role in 21st-century businesses, listen to this recent Better, Smarter, Richer podcast, in which Jackie discusses EI with “business doctor” Doug Lundrigan of Lighthouse Business Solutions.