Create a Culture of Emotional Intelligence Advantage

You know those HR leaders and owners who seem to "get it"? The ones who make everyone feel seen, heard, and ready to grow? The ones you might love to hate sometimes?

Maybe hate is too strong. 

Envious? Curious?

Well, it's not magic. 

It’s their emotional intelligence in action, creating a positive, growth mindset culture.

You can do it, too. Let me show you how to build this super-reactor engine that can power your culture’s transformation to a positive, growth mindset.

Josh Freedman shared something fascinating in my Work Positive Podcast interview with him: emotions last about six seconds in our bodies.

I know, right? That’s all. Just six seconds. (That’s why his company is named, https://6seconds.org.)

And get this: six seconds is all you as an owner or HR leader need to power a positive, growth mindset transformation in your culture.

What you do in those six seconds can make or break someone's entire day, week, or even career.

What if you decide right now to transform those six seconds into positive, growth mindset opportunities?

Here’s how.

(For more from my interview with Josh, listen to the entire episode at https://workpositive.today/joshua-freedman-2.)

The Emotional Growth Engine + GPS

Think of emotional intelligence as the engine that powers your company culture. And it does more than just power it. It directs it, also. Think of it as an engine equipped with a GPS with the destination set for a positive, growth mindset culture.

Just as your GPS navigates based on four poles—North, East, South, West—so emotional intelligence navigates to a positive, growth mindset based on these four directions:

• Self-Awareness: Where am I now?
• Social Awareness: Where are others?
• Self-Management: How do I navigate from here to where I want to be?
• Successful Relationships: How do we grow together?

Let’s think of emotional intelligence transforming your work culture as if you’re taking a trip. Emotional intelligence is the super-reactor engine plus GPS. Here are your four steps to a growth mindset, positive journey:

• Start your engine of self-awareness.

Your trip begins as you get in the culture, sit down, shut the door, and start your engine of self-awareness. Ask yourself these four questions to warm up the engine:

• What am I feeling right now?
• How's it affecting my leadership?
• What message am I sending?
• What growth am I empowering or blocking?

• Search for traffic with social awareness.

Just like you look around for traffic as you pull out of your garage or a parking space, look around your team and discern where they are and their status.

Scott Greenberg was my guest on an episode of the Work Positive Podcast. He talked about his mindset as he approaches each team member. The first two of his four questions fit nicely here. Ask yourself:

• What's their emotional state?
• What support do they need?

• Select your destination for self-management.

Your engine is warmed up and ready to run now. But what’s your destination? Now you set your GPS to navigate from where you are to where you want to be. 

Scott Greenberg has two more questions that guide our navigation destination:

• How can I help them grow?

• What's my best response?

See how your social awareness combines with your self-awareness for self-management? 

Check out my Work Positive Podcast interview for more with Scott at https://workpositive.today/scott-greenberg.

• Set off on your trip of successful relationships.

Your culture transformation to a positive, growth mindset that grows people and profits travels the HOV lane. Passengers are required. Part of the journey is collective growth in mindset and positivity.

Here are five activities for you and your team to ride together and do—think meetings—that grow your emotional intelligence mindset:

• Start meetings with feeling check-ins. 

This activity scares some HR leaders and managers. So instead of “How’s everyone feeling today?”, ask, “How’s it going today?” to mix it up occasionally. 

Jenny started team meetings with "What made you proud this week?" Engagement scores jumped 40% in two months.

Simple question. Powerful impact.

• Share your own learning moments.

The best way to discover the team’s progress is to share your own. Authentic vulnerability is a hallmark characteristic of great leaders with high emotional intelligence.

• Celebrate small victories.

Is there really such a thing as a “small” victory? A win is a win. Avoid comparing within the sharing of accomplishments. My small achievement may be large to you. Pop a cork on all of them!

• Acknowledge tough emotions.

Create psychological safety for all emotions. It’s disingenuous to share only the victories. Failure is an experience, not a person. Yet, sometimes failure is like Velcro and clings to us. Get honest and say, “That’s hard to go through.”

Carlos, a tech HR leader, transformed his team by sharing his own growth struggles. "I'm learning too," became his mantra. His team's innovation rate doubled in three months. Why? Because vulnerability creates psychological safety.

• Build connection rituals.

Nurture positive connections. Sure, you work together. Of course, you know each other somewhat. Deepening relationships grows people and profits. The team gels. This level of emotional intelligence requires rituals. Just like your fuel mileage improves when you set your cruise control, relationships grow through rituals. 

Emotions drive behavior. Behavior shapes culture. Culture determines growth.

You don't need to be perfect at this, just intentional. Start with six seconds.

Your next six seconds start now!

Taken from Dr. Joey’s soon-to-be-released book, Growth Mindset and Culture: Six Power Moves for a Growth Mindset at Work. 

What’s your question about how to create a positive work culture? Ask Dr. Joey here.