Indhold
Emotional intelligence expert Mikkel Severin has no doubt; EQ constitutes the comparative advantage that wins or loses the battle for any business.
Mikkel Severin is Denmark’s leading expert in emotional intelligence, or EQ, and sought after advisor among companies. Like him, many companies are beginning to see the potential of working strategically with the concept. But what does emotional intelligence mean, and why is it so important to have?
Mikkel Severin defines emotional intelligence, as the question of whether one is able to decode oneself and others and act optimally in any given situation. He explains it further as follows:
“It’s all about which emotions you drive for yourself and which emotions you drive for others. Are you a person who gives energy, or are you a person who takes energy from others? Are you a person that everyone wants to work with, or are you a person that people shy away from?”
It may sound oversimplified that one should be good to one’s fellow human beings, but emotional intelligence is a science and a tool whose business case cannot be ignored.
According to Mikkel Severin, working strategically with EQ is not just an opportunity, but a necessity. It is the people in a company that makes the difference.
“Emotional intelligence is the most crucial factor in strategy. There are two things a company needs in order to achieve outstanding success. It needs to be smart and it needs to be healthy. The challenge is that almost all companies are smart. They are strong in strategy, finance, marketing, and technology,” he explains.
However, being smart is not enough, because neglecting to focus on being healthy undermines the entire organization:
“In a healthy organization, the entire top management is aligned. There are minimal politics and almost no misunderstandings, clear guidelines,happy employee,c high productivity and great results. We see, that where EQ is not a priority, there is a towering turnover and great dissatisfaction among employees.”
Many people will undoubtedly exhibit emotional intelligence on their own. However, it becomes truly effective at the organizational level when it is strategically implemented, and the entire company works with the same perspective. Mikkel Severin talks about an EQ mindset:
“Those who live by an EQ mindset have completely clear guidelines. They know why they exist and what their most important priorities are. And it’s not enough for top management to know it, everyone in the entire organization knows it.”
This also means that one should think carefully when promoting people. If promotions are based on seniority, sales, and technical skills, one risks making a big mistake.
“When working with EQ, one changes the criteria for promotion. Here, one can only be promoted if people like working with you, and you meet the emotional criteria. No matter how technical you are or how much sales you make, you cannot be promoted without meeting the criteria.”
Mikkel Severin advises top executives and companies on decoding people’s emotional intelligence in leadership and negotiation based on his Mind Control techniques.
Research from Stanford University has shown how the brain reacts when exposed to challenges it cannot solve. Here, it is clear how some people shut down, while others light up at the prospect of learning something new. And it is interesting for how we can all become better at working together.
“When working from an EQ mindset, you must be able to accept criticism and be willing to change yourself and your methods for the common good. Only if people put their egos aside and focuses on the overall goal an organization can achieve success.”
When crises hit, many companies tend to cut everything that at first glance doesn’t immediately impact the bottom line. But it’s a big mistake to only focus on the technical aspects. Strategic work with emotional intelligence ensures the harmony that every company needs.
“Everyone should work towards the same goal. If people have their own agenda, the arrows point in all sorts of directions, and it’s impossible to move the organization out of the crisis.”
What sets the top percent of companies apart from the rest, is that they strategically work with EQ and prioritize people.
Leadership is a complex entity where many big decisions need to be made independently. This is why EGN’s leadership peer groups is the perfect platform to meet like-minded individuals who can share experiences with each other. Read more about EGN’s peer groups.”
You can hear a lot more about EQ, when Mikkel Severin guests EGNs global live webinar on April the 27th. Sign up here – it´s free.
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