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When it comes to good and effective decision-making it is important to understand what power emotional intelligence has on our ability to think and decide!
Thinking and emotional intelligence are powerful movers in human existence.
This duo works together, following one another, enhancing each other, pulling each other up or down, mirroring each other, and much more.
Most importantly, as a team, they are the most important key players in the effective decision-making “theatre”.
The best and most accurate decisions that are made are when these key players are aligned upwards towards a greater cause.
Supposedly great decisions are made without feelings but as a thinking specialist, I can definitely say that this statement couldn’t be further from the truth.
Emotional Intelligence is a huge body of intelligence that begins with empathy.
#1 – Empathy – The Main Parameter of Emotional Intelligence
One of the main parameters of emotional intelligence is empathy, which happens to be a natural human trait that connects people on a positive level, which is extremely enriching to both the giver and the receiver.
Empathy is when you allow yourself to think outside yourself and understand others and what they face.
When you do that the feelings of empathy follow immediately and generate natural human warmth and care.
In the science of team-building, and it is a human science, empathy is one of the most important foundations and its impact is trust-building and cohesiveness.
Empathy or lack of empathy towards people or for a cause affects the effectiveness of the decision-making level and process dramatically.
When it’s present an effective decision-making process is overwhelmingly exact than when it’s absent.
That is because every decision we make impacts human beings and before you make that decision you have to consider them as if they were you.
The presence of Empathy indicates a higher level of personal development providing it doesn’t become a loose emotion of pity.
Its presence is shown through open-ended questions that open the doors for others to communicate and be listened to in an active way and with affirmation and recognition.
Body language expresses empathy through open stance, smile, and when called for a hug.
Simple stuff that goes a long way, which unfortunately is rare because most people never look beyond themselves.
For many reasons, it is critical to give an important place to emotional intelligence in the table of the decision-making process.
As The Thinking Coach, I personally conducted many decision-making think tanks and have seen firsthand the difference in the level of effective decision-making when empathy is present between the participants and the difference between it being present or absent is huge!
#2 – Fear Vs. Caution, Viewed From The Emotional Intelligence Perspective
Unhealthy fear and worry weaken us emotionally and make us unstable, constantly pressing the panic button, which leads us to bad decision-making.
Caution, on the other hand, is a process that opens the big picture and includes & combines strategic thinking and intelligent emotions in a progressive & positive building fashion, leading to an effective decision-making process.
Unhealthy fear shrinks the thinking process while caution expands it.
Fear leads to the same old, same old thinking patterns while caution assesses the situation and provides creative solutions.
Fear uses lower emotions of negative consequences as a means of control while caution uses higher emotion and positive thinking as a means of opening and understanding the bigger picture.
Fear sells, persuades and controls…but only has a short term effect, while caution is a state of mind that is long term oriented and is not confined to any particular issue but rather caution as a way of life.
We call it being careful or FULL OF CARE. It is curious that caution and care are related.
Could it be that a person who is cautious cares about things?
Fear is natural and should be a natural alerting member of the cautionary or protective system that we humans have.
For example, being afraid of the dark is totally natural due to the loss of vision in the dark but it should not be followed by panic thinking.
The divide between having a natural fear and being gripped and controlled by it is the very difference between smart & effective decision-making and making foolish decisions. Examples are many.
If you are concerned with the level of Emotional Intelligence in your own life, then be careful not to be swept into loose emotions that massed produce fear and panic.
Because the powers that be figured that the only way to control the masses is through fear tactics.
The media has become the overwhelming supplier of our “brain food” and thus the controller of our emotions, mostly through fear.
#3 – Emotional Intelligence as a Motivational Tool
Here is a fact you may wish to consider – the emotions that are connected to a higher purpose are much more powerful than the commonly preached self-glorification reasons for success, (otherwise known as our “great beloved Ego” or the “me, me, me” syndrome, or “I will show them”), that we are taught we should have as our main motivation.
The self-based motivation is actually the weakest form of motivation there is.
When people are motivated by a reason greater than themselves, they tend to do much much better, are better at effective decision-making, and build cohesive teams around them.
At the end of the day, if you are well trained in Emotional Intelligence it becomes your conscious decision what emotions to use in what you do. You have a lot to select from.
This goes opposite to what we are taught by the “great powers that be”, that one should do things just for themselves and step on everything and everybody that stands in their way.
What Emotional Intelligence Training can Do for You
1) Open your mind to the big picture of Emotional Intelligence and the vast progress you can make in your professional and personal life using this tool
2) The training seminar will show you how to connect the right thinking with the right emotions and conduct a balanced & effective decision-making process that is thorough and exact.
3) It will help you make decisions based on long-term thinking which will stabilize trouble areas in your life.
4) It will enable you to become influential and have charisma as EQ is one of the most important ingredients of Charisma (see my book The Enigma of Charisma).
5) It will show you how to put your mind and emotions to the use of personal effectiveness
through personal order and communication.
6) You will be much better equipped to build a cohesive team around you.
7) It will build trust & cause others to respect you and value your contribution.
Before You Go…
All leaders need to make effective decisions, regardless of whether they’re using emotional intelligence. You’ll need to be as informed as possible when making them.
While there’s a wealth of ways to get this information, perhaps the easiest and most effective is with technology. CRMs, data collection tools, and more could all be needed.
Many business leaders can find these relatively complicated. It can be difficult to compare options and choose between them.
You’ll also need to know what tools you’ll actually need. IT advisory services can be more than recommended for this.
Not only does using these services mean everything is set up perfectly for your company, but you’ll have the right tools and other equipment for your needs.
Once implemented, you can use these tools to get a more accurate picture of your business. To make effective decisions, you’ll need to analyze reports these systems generate while implementing solutions and initiatives.
Combining that with your emotional intelligence will bring your decision-making abilities to a new level.
Finally
What this article intimates, is a different message, a softer one and a much stronger one.
Emotional Intelligence is a great tool to have.
It is a kind of intelligence that can propel you and the people around you to the next level of personal and organizational success.
The collective excellence improves tremendously when the thinking and the emotions work towards a greater purpose and great purpose always involves many more people than just you.
In my leadership seminars, I focus on the nuts and bolts of emotional intelligence and demonstrate how their usage improves effective decision-making processes, which is what we do all day every day,
We Make Decisions!
Let me show you How to Make Great Decisions
Eli Harari
The Life Coach for Professionals™