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Understanding the Brain's Impact on EQ
Author(s): Jean Walker is executive vice president of OI Partners (Portland)
The brain is a complex, highly structured instrument which separates the activities for emotions and intellect according to specific biological needs.
* Emotions are based in the subcortex, our most primitive beginnings. They are the foundation for survival, helping us to sense danger. Emotions, inevitably, move us to action. They also provide the basic instinctual impulse to "flee or fight" in times of crisis. Even the word, "emotion," is derived from the Latin base "motere," to move.
* Intellect is found in the neocortex, the most highly developed part of our brains and the most recent to evolve. It gives us the power to learn, to study, to acquire information and rationally make decisions. It makes it possible for us to look ahead into the future and project the challenges and opportunities we are likely to face. It also helps us to understand and interpret, as well as influence, our own emotions and feelings.
Working together, emotions and intellect give us the capacity for Emotional Intelligence, providing meaning to what we learn and determining how we use the information. They give us the power not only to feel, but also to interpret those feelings. Relying on one, without acknowledging and respecting the other, lowers our potential to be fully functioning human beings.
Good leaders demonstrate good Emotional Intelligence, and that includes understanding and managing your own emotions, being able to read other people's emotions, and having the social skills to lead and manage relationships. You can't do it without having empathy for people. You have to genuinely care about others in order to motivate and persuade them to do what you want done. EQ is nothing more than emotional maturity, taking responsibility for your own emotions and helping others to understand and manage theirs. The result is happier, more fulfilled people, who create an environment where people respect and value each other, leading to greater success, both personally and professionally.
It has often been considered inappropriate to show emotions in the workplace, but an organization is a living organism made up of relationships between people and, in order to work and live together compatibly, you have to understand the internal feelings that are affecting external actions. How your brain impacts your Emotional Intelligence is interesting. How your heart reacts is critical to success: your own and that of the people you lead.
Jean Walker is executive vice president of OI Partners (Portland). She has more than 20 years of experience in education, management and career counseling, and she is author of The Age Advantage: Making the Most of Your Midlife Career Transition. Jean also serves as one of 12 Board Governors from 7 countries of the Institute of Career Certification International. She can be reached at jwalker@oipartners.net or 503-221-8747.
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