Decoding Emotional Intelligence: Self-Awareness

In our third video of a six-part series about emotional intelligence (EQ), Dr. Henry Cloud—psychologist, speaker and best-selling author—discusses why leaders must be aware of their own behaviors to develop EQ. Emotionally intelligent leaders know their triggers, but a lot of times leaders are unaware, which can be detrimental to decision-making and lead them down the wrong path. “If you get triggered, you're reacting, you're not proacting,” says Dr. Cloud. “And 99 percent of the time, a reaction never gets us to the results that a strategic choice of the best option chosen of several different options could have afforded us. But we don't know that we're reacting out of a feeling if we're not aware of our feelings.” Watch the video to hear an example of a leader who almost threw in the towel on his position because he was unaware of his triggers.

Topics covered are:

•  Analyze how self awareness influences reactions during challenging leadership situations
•  Identify emotional triggers that lead to defensive or reactive behavior
•  Evaluate how recognizing emotions improves decision making and communication
•  Apply self regulation techniques to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting impulsively

This course includes:

• Approximately 9 minutes of video lessons.
• A quiz with multiple-choice questions to check your understanding.