Take Emotional Temperatures

I received the feedback below from a participant in one of my workshops.

“I liked Dr. Justice’s advice to take a personal emotional reading once a day. Instead of once a day, I have tried to apply this concept multiple times a day so that I won’t hinder positive conversations\meetings that I participate in. I also find the advice good for ascertaining the emotional barometer of people I interact with so that I will know how to respond and/or proceed in a conversation.”

I realized that taking an emotional temperature is not something I have discussed in this blog, though I regularly recommend it as a simple action item in speeches and coaching sessions.

Accelerating Growth

Last week I spoke at two conferences across the US. I got to meet many folks in the human capital space – both from the industry as well as consultants, coaches, and trainers. I spoke about Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and why now–during this decade–and in the context of all the changes I wrote about last year (recession, globalization, tech, and generations), EQ is the right competency to focus on. One of the more frequently asked questions I get is whether we can actually increase our EQ.

Emotional Hangovers

I spoke at 2 events last week and was struck by how much dialogue/questions arose once I introduced the concept of emotional hangovers. What is an emotional hangover? Think of a traditional hangover after a night of drinking – the next day, we feel a headache, we are dehydrated, and we are tired. It is not a stretch to assume that our ability to perform at our best during this hangover period is compromised.

High Class Problems

Years ago, I went to my boss and shared with him a serious problem we were having with our business. It was the kind of problem that comes with growth and success. I was literally stunned by his initial reaction. My boss said to me, “This is the kind of problem we want to have… I call it a High Class Problem.” He then proceeded to tell me that one of the best ways to be highly engaged and excited about your work is to solve high class problems.

Motivation to Perform

What can we learn from sports about motivation, performance, and success?

Connectivity Enables Intimacy

We worry that IM, texting, Facebook are spoiling human intimacy, but Stefana Broadbent’s research shows how communication tech is capable of cultivating deeper relationships, bringing love across barriers like distance and workplace rules.

Related posts:

• Eliminate Old Barriers
• Constantly Connected
• Technology Changes How We Work

Best Inspirational Video of 2009

If you need some extra motivation in order to prepare your resolutions, check out this video. It has gotten nearly 400,000 hits on YouTube. Key themes are similar to others discussed on this blog, including stop being a victim, have the courage to take risks, and believe in yourself.

Eliminate Old Barriers

This morning on the way to work, I heard a financial analyst describe the how the European Currency — the Euro — came to be. Granted, the explanation was overly simplified but the Europeans actually were inspired by the United States. They noted how a company in the State of Texas could do business with another in the State of California, for example, using the same currency, without having to worry about travel visas or political policies of either state. They marveled at how this model within the fifty US states drove, in part, the great collaboration and business success we experience.

2010 Trends Continued… Flatter Organizations

A few months ago, we discussed 4 macro level trends anticipated in the next decade from a human capital perspective and last week, I discussed a micro trend. Continuing the dialogue, this week is about organizational design models. There continues to be a surging of unique trends towards how organizations are designed. The traditional hierarchical models of a pyramid (boss at top, workers at bottom) or even matrix models traditionally found in service businesses are disappearing.

Getting ready for 2010

It has been a long year for most of us.  The overwhelming majority of us have had a challenging year balancing the dynamics shifts of the workplace and the marketplace. In just about all conversations that I have had with folks from all over the world, there quite possibly has not been a more anticipated year end like 2009 – we all seem to be ready for 2010.  This optimism (an emotional state) is quite different than what most of us felt just 12 months ago when we had no idea how bad things were going to get with the incessant bad news that greeted us each day. The next few weeks, I will be discussing some trends that I am hearing across the board for 2010.