One of my most gratifying activities during these past few years has been co-developing and co-teaching a program at Google called Search Inside Yourself, a program that integrates mindfulness with emotional intelligence. Daniel Goleman in his book Working With Emotional Intelligence. says, “Analysis done by dozens of different experts in close to five hundred corporations, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide have arrived independently at remarkably similar conclusions. Their conclusions all point to the paramount place of emotional intelligence in excellence on the job – virtually any job”.

The good news is that Emotional Intelligence can be learned.

A particularly interesting study shows that excelling in a variety of emotional competencies, not just a few, is a strong indicator of leadership success. The nine qualities shown to be most important are:
- Initiative
- Achievement drive
- Adaptability
- Influence
- Team leadership
- Political awareness
- Empathy
- Self-confidence
- Developing others

At the beginning of the Search Inside Yourself program we ask participants to look at this list of qualities and to rate themselves in each. Then, to choose two or three to consciously work on improving over the 6-week period of the course.

As we begin the new year, I’m looking over this list for myself as I form my goals and development program for the year. This might be a good time to stop, relax, and take just a few minutes of time – Which of these qualities are your strengths? Which might you choose to work on during the coming year? What would you do differently, and what might the benefits be?

Wishing you much mindfulness, emotional intelligence, peace, and success.

With best regards,

Marc

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