Leaders are always making decisions, and when we’re in tune with awareness we’re better equipped to make those important decisions.
Dave Richards is the CEO and Lead Coach at Elite Performance Associates and a former executive director for John Maxwell’s company.
In this episode, we talk about self-awareness, relational and situational awareness and how leaders can benefit from more of each.
Here are some takeaways he shared:
1. Emotional intelligence will determine the trajectory of your career.
It starts with self-awareness and how you receive and communicate information. It’s when you understand how you process things and are clear on where you need to work and grow.
We all operate in patterns. There’s so much information coming in. And each one of us has a unique style of communication and how we work and operate.
Understanding our own patterns, how we receive information, how we prefer to deliver information and communicate and connect with people really helps us to understand ourselves in circumstances.
It also helps us to be able to better identify other people’s styles so that we can create those connections and better communicate from that part.
2. Know the difference between a reaction and a response.
Emotional intelligence involves a great deal of self-control. Make sure you understand how to control your emotions and create pauses when necessary so you have more of a response than a reaction.
Learn to not just be in the moment of reaction — which many times have us regretting what we said or how we reacted in a moment.
3. Understand the interpersonal dynamics of your relationships.
Understand — and build a strong awareness of — how you come across or how you are being received.
Know when you might need to take a pause and slow down before you say something. Or know if you need to be a little more blunt and to the point.
This will allow you to better connect with someone else who might have a different process than yours. Through applications like DISC, take the time to know others and know how to approach them.