How are you? I’m fine, doing OK. Recognise this? I’ll bet you do!
The lack of in person contact limits our ability, or so we believe, to really know whether the respondent is fine. And what of the questioner – fine to?
It is widely accepted that leadership requires emotional intelligence.
There are different models to help us define what that means but for this post I’d like to keep it really simple and focus on emotional literacy?
How many emotions can you name right off the bat? How many can you ascribe feelings or sensations to?
How about learning to recognise and name them? Pausing regularly throughout the day to ask how am I right now? What am I sensing in my body and then what emotion(s) arises? What is all this taking care of – because they are taking care of something?
Considered to be e(nergy-in-)motion, they are laden with information; taking on the challenge to develop literacy creates the opportunity to ‘have’ them, rather than they ‘have’ us.
Practice regularly and you’ll begin to notice how you are with more precision. You’ll also begin to find it easier to attune to the emotions of others.
Why does it matter? Because for leadership, such information gives more choice and greater possibility for action.
Would it make a difference to ‘ban’ ‘I’m fine’ as a response?
