Emotions form the very essence of who we are and how we journey through life - they are the central core of our being as humans. Indeed, they have a greater impact than any other single contributor in the universe! Amazingly we still know so little about emotions compared to the abundance of knowledge of almost every other known subject.
We do know that emotions affect our moods, our energy levels and our thinking abilities. Emotions can ignite us to achieve, drive us to overcome adversity and inspire us as leaders. Emotions can also destroy relationships, undermine our behaviour and deceive us into disastrous decisions.
In order to work for us, emotions must be interpreted, understood and leveraged as a source of information to enhance our thinking and behaviour. Patently, the intelligent use of emotions is essential to our well-being and performance throughout life.
Despite the importance of emotions, little tuition is offered by schools, universities and business colleges who are judged on their academic syllables. Fortunately, there are a growing number of specialists in the field of emotional intelligence. EQ Impact has been at the forefront since 1996 as developers of emotionally intelligent leaders.
Why do we have emotions?
Early Homo sapiens used primitive emotional responses as a survival mechanism over 92000 years ago. Early hominids needed to respond rapidly to potential threats in order to survive. The primitive brain had limited cognitive ability but deep within the Limbic region, a tiny area known as the Amygdala had the purpose of galvanizing the body into an instinctive reaction when danger arose.
Over the eons, as the cerebral cortex developed around the primitive brain, we increased our ability for logical thinking and rationality. However, the Amygdala or primitive brain still responds the same way it did millions of years ago - instinctively reacting to 'protect' us through the power of an emotionally driven impulse. This reaction, known today as the 'fight or flight' syndrome remains the same uncontrolled response which aided the survival of our distant ancestors.
The significant difference between then and now is that we have an abundance of intellectual capacity which should assist us to make rational decisions. The reality is that our so called intelligence is over-ridden when we are stressed or feel threatened. The rationality of our modern brain 'switches off' in moments of crisis or perceived threat and our primitive brain assumes control as part of our pre-programmed survival mechanism. That's why so many of us seem to 'over-react' in certain situations.
But emotionally driven feelings also have an important role to play for our business and social existence - if we are able to interpret them accurately. They provide us with two essential elements in our increasingly complex and information-laden world:
- Firstly, emotions and the associated feelings they induce, provide a vital source of valuable information and feedback. This feedback, when cognitively processed, allows us greater insight to situations, leading to more appropriate and informed decisions and responses.
- Our emotions also allow access to the deeper recesses of our brains where eons of information and accumulated memory are subconsciously stored. We often call this intuition - the unexplainable 'gut-feeling' we get about a person or situation. Although often ignored, it can be a very accurate guide to decisions.
The challenge confronting modern humans
Quite simply, we suffer from emotional illiteracy. We have never been taught the language of emotions - and we find it difficult to accurately identify the myriad of continuous emotions invading our physiology. Because we can not name a feeling or emotion, we can not rationalize why we are experiencing it or its significance. This deprives us of the ability to behave in a more informed and 'intelligent' manner.
Our behaviour is constantly determined by the emotio-cognitive fusion created by the blend of three elements:
- What we know i.e. learned information, data, experience etc
- How we think i.e. the process whereby we interpret and use our knowledge
- How we feel i.e. our emotional state.
Each of these elements impacts on the others and if we could get all three to 'talk' to each other openly and accurately at all times, we could be super intelligent beings. We would constantly be examining our changing state in relation to our changing circumstances and both consciously and unconsciously examining how we are feeling, how this impacts on our thinking and how the combination of these two affects our behaviour. Furthermore, imagine how enlightened we could be if we could accurately define how we are feeing about the way we are feeling?
The True Essence of Emotional Intelligence
Being able to over-ride the primitive brain's tendency to elicit an instinctual response and instead to regulate our responses using all the information derived from knowing, thinking and feeling is the essence of emotional intelligence.
At EQ IMPACT we facilitate this process during our two day "Emotionally Intelligent Leadership" intervention. Using practical simulations, observation and feedback, we provide the competencies to grow an enlightened breed of emotionally intelligent leaders. Contact us for more information.
F.EQ – FINANCIAL EMOTIONAL QUOTIENT
In personal financial management, logical strategies are essential! Equally important is the emotional intelligence to consistently apply them and simultaneously, manage the psycho-physiological impact of changing financial scenarios. We call this F.EQ or Financial Emotional Quotient.
F.EQ helps us to:
- Manage the emotional stress associated with our finances;
- Recognise the emotions associated with the complicated business of money management;
- Minimise the impact of emotions which are toxic and destructive;
- Leverage off emotions which are healthy and beneficial;
- Use the power of emotional information to enhance our financial acumen and
- Remain strategically focused in challenging financial circumstances.
Michael Pryke, Managing Partner of EQ IMPACT and former divisional MD at one of the largest financial institutions in the country has been studying the science of emotion since 1995. He has been a significant contributor to the development of emotionally intelligent leadership in business. His coaching and workshops with executives assist with his ongoing research in the field of emotional intelligence.
"Emotions touch every part of our lives and influence everything we think and do, both consciously and unconsciously every minute of every day!" says Michael.
"Probably, the most emotional decisions we make are related to financial matters. Yet many people are unaware of the impact which emotions have on their money management. That's why we are now focusing on F.EQ as an essential tool to complement financial strategy."
We deal with the science of emotions attached to wealth-creation, combining theory with examples, exercises and practical solutions.
F.EQ can be delivered as a conference presentation or as a full workshop. Topics include:
- Manage the emotional stress related to challenging financial circumstances.
- Hear about the psychology of behavioral economics - why we spend, invest, collect and donate.
- Recognise the emotional 'RED FLAGS' which influence our financial decisions: Regret Envy Despair Fear Loathing Anger Greed Shame.
- Understand more accurately how you interpret your financial world.
- Adopt skills to avoid over-reacting and calibrate your responses to suit the economic reality.
- Learn how to observe yourself, listen to your inner voice and improve your emotional literacy.
- Design practices to facilitate your own F.E.Q.
Take your financial strategy to the next level with F.EQ - and create wealth with health!