Emotional Intelligence is a key core strength that can serve Veterans well in many situations during and after transition. This strength is a fundamental way of being that most people don't take the time to ensure they understand or what parts of it they need to develop. Emotional Intelligence entails the following four areas:
- Self-Awareness - Your ability to accurately perceive your emotions and stay aware of them as they happen. This includes keeping on top of how you tend to respond to specific situations and certain people.
- Self-Management - Your ability to use awareness of your emotions to stay flexible and positively direct your behavior. This means managing your emotional reactions to all situations and people.
- Social Awareness - Your ability to accurately pick up on emotions in other people and get what is really going on. This often means understanding what other people are thinking and feeling, even if you don't feel the same way.
- Relationship Management - Your ability to use awareness of your emotions and the emotions of others to manage interactions successfully. Letting emotional awareness guide clear communication and effective handling of conflict
The first two areas have to do with your personal competence and the second two have to do with your social competence. All of these are areas that can have a positive effect on your ability to build relationships and plan for your future appropriately that will be critical in transitioning from the military and in setting yourself up for success as you move into a new unfamiliar career.
The benefits to having a solid grasp of these areas as a core strength include:
- The ability to grow and engage your network
- Provides flexibility in how you respond to others in various situations to get the best results
- Understanding of why others are reacting or not reacting in ways that you would expect
- Being able to facilitate diverse situations and people under adverse conditions
Being in the military has prepared you for these types of situations as there are many situations that require this level of skill. In different situations you will have been exposed to making critical decisions that could essentially make or break an outcome.
Over my career there have been many occasions both in the Military and Civilian sector that required me to be on my game in each of these four areas. From a self-awareness perspective I've had to ensure that I grew as a professional to keep my thoughts and emotions in check no matter what the situation was. This was often done through proper self-management which includes be flexible and looking for a positive win win outcome for all involved. We can never forget that not only do we have emotions we need to manage but so do those that we interact with. They may not be as skilled at these four areas of emotional intelligence, which requires you to be even better at them. Having the social awareness to be cognizant of this is critical in times of stress and making important decisions. You can leverage this social awareness to the point where you build and encourage positive relationships all around you creating dynamic leadership results.
Landmark Life Coaching's Mission is to honorably and respectfully serve courageous groundbreakers and transitioning veterans to persevere in defining and executing their future by providing an atmosphere of comradery and trust that honors their dedication and commitment. This will empower our clients to feel whole, honored, respected and fulfilled in defining and living their life purpose.
Veterans Coach/Speaker/Writer Dwayne.paro@landmarklifecoaching.com