LEADERSHIP SECRET TWO: EMOTIONAL MASTERY

Extraordinary and effective leaders bring certainty into uncertain environments. Whether it be in sports, business or even a parent, in times of uncertainty people are drawn to those who manage their emotions with level-headed certainty. This leadership secret isn’t just about emotional intelligence.Emotional intelligence is a set of skills, or you can think of it as a set of capacities. What I really focus on is emotional fitness – psychological strength.

Having the emotional certainty to use humor, playfulness, curiosity, compassion and creativity in the middle of stressful environments gives you flexibility and strength that can allow you to tackle any challenge with your team. Those who do this consistently develop a reputation or a leadership brand. People look to them for support, vision, insight and guidance.

There’s a great book called Positive Intelligence by a friend of mine, Shirzad Chamine. In it, he shows that we all have “Saboteurs” inside ourselves that are overly judgmental, fearful, controlling, hyper-vigilant and so on. We also have parts inside ourselves that are also bold, creative, curious and determined. He calls these parts of our personality “the Sage.”

Training yourself so that you areemotionally fit, so you can tap into the power of the Sage in you – and learning to ignore your Saboteurs – will enable you to make a valuable contribution. Learning to change this in a matter of seconds is an extraordinarily valuable leadership secret. You can do this by identifying and overcoming yourlimiting beliefs, as well as changingnegative self-talk into empowering thoughts and learning toassign a different meaning to your experiences.