You may want to read part one of this post on August 27.

So how do you begin to increase your emotional intelligence as a leader and as a person.

Step One: Observation

    Heighten your sensitivity to your emotional intelligence as it directly relates to your leadership. Watch how you come across to your team/organization. Pay more attention to the responses you receive when you meet with people. Notice your own emotional reactions when you lead your team or are in front of your organization. You may even want to ask a few trusted colleagues to answer the questions I posed above (see the August 27 posting).

Don’t make a lot of changes or grow frustrated if you are less than pleased with what you see in yourself. The cultivation of E.I. is a life long dynamic that requires patience and time (and often good coaching). For now, just notice and smile. If you can avert potential trouble in your leadership through this observation, more power to you. But don’t make get hung up on changing what you see. First, just learn to see what is and let the change come later. Be gentle with yourself as you observe. Beating yourself up won’t help either. In fact, it’s a sign of low E.I.

You may want to keep a small journal of you observations to increase you commitment to this process. Learning to connect your E.I. to your leadership will increase your sensitivity the next time you find yourself leading. Journaling is a reflective tool that can help you do this.

Keep this question front and center:

    What am I radiating in this leadership moment?

Two Emotional Intelligence Resources For Leaders

1) Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Leadership and Organization. Robert Cooper

2) Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. Daniel Goleman, Annie McKee, Richard E. Boyatzis