Grace Keohohou Hao is a Certified Business Coach and joined OWL for our September meeting to discuss “Courage in Leadership” and how increasing our Emotional Intelligence (EI /EQ) can increase our results personally and professionally.
EQ (Emotional Quotient) a measurement of how much or how little emotional intelligence you have. Emotional Intelligence (EI) impacts our relationships. More developed EI correlates to being more likely to communicate in mindful and thoughtful, way. With high EI, we are able to monitor our own and other’s emotions, take appropriate action and communicate more effectively. We can use our emotions to unlock our intelligence. Approximately 90 percent of high achievers have high emotional intelligence.
Reason for Courage:
Courage is stepping outside our comfort zone. We are more likely to have courage if we have a purpose/reason. This is what some people call “your why”. Why am I here? How can I add value?
Making time and space to reflect and monitor our own emotions will help us to be clear on “our reason” and create our vision beyond your current circumstances – especially in challenging times.
If we have great clarity of our reason for what we do or how to “be”, we are more likely to show up as our greatest self and be our best.
Questions to help focus on our reason:
• How has this been a gift.
• What have I learned?
• What would I have learned if things have stayed the same?
• What do I prefer for my life going forward?
• What is my vision.
How can we expand our comfort zone? Our greatest competition is the best version of us from yesterday. How can we do or be better than we were yesterday. Great path to self-improvement. We can set a tone and an example. Help ourselves and be courage multiplier for others.
Leverage imagination
Most profound ideas come from imagination. Imagine what does courage look like? You tap into imagination with open ended questions. They start with who, what, when, where and how. Be careful of “why” it can carry judgement.
Give yourself time and space to think beyond what is in front of us. What is important to me? Who is important to me? How are my choices moving us forward or holding us back?
Helping others through challenges: Loving them enough to ask versus telling them what to feel. “How are you feeling?” Give them an opportunity to express how they are feeling. When they describe their emotion and put a word to it they are more able to cope or strategize about solutions.
Emotional intelligence questions to help coping or solutions:
• What do you believe can be done about it? OR What could have been done differently?
• What are you willing to do about it – go into solution
• What would you prefer – transitioning v. staying in the negative space
Postured for Courage
“The body shrieks before the mouth speaks.” How we talk to ourselves and how we hold ourselves matter. Pay attention to what you are thinking. Sometimes we give ourselves a tone we do not use with anyone else that can be self-sabotaging. Suggest you ask yourself questions in the way you would ask someone with great respect, love and admiration. “How am I feeling?”
This simple question postures us for success and support others.
• What is within my sphere of influence versus what I don’t have any say in
• What is within my realm of responsibility.
• What are my options?
• How can I make the most of what is happening?
These tools will help us not be a victim. Victims blame, shame and justify versus victors that take ownership and responsibility. Victor statement: “I get to, I prefer, I choose, I have an abundance of options.”
grace@coachwithgrace.com