Hey, Hot Head, Don’t Say It! 5 Steps to Better Emotional Intelligence

Office lifeSherri Petro, President and Chief Strategy Officer of VPI Strategies, represents VPI Strategies on the Expert Panel for Managing Americans. ManagingAmericans.com is a management blog with more than 300,000 monthly readers. Sherri contributes monthly to the Workplace Communication Skills Blog and is one of the most highly read columnists.

This month’s article teaches 5 Steps to Better Emotional Intelligence.

You know you want to.  In fact you’re dying to pop off some expletives that would make Mom turn ten shades of red.  Whether you receive news about a coming reorganization, unrealistic client deadline or one of your peers being absent AGAIN, you’ve been triggered. Whatever you’re thinking at this exact moment, don’t say it.  And, please, please, please don’t e-mail it or text it either. Easy up on that trigger finger, pard’ner.

The news you received is out of your control.  Swearing up a storm may relieve your pressure, but it could make your peers mighty uncomfortable. Talk about ruining that personal brand you have been trying so hard to create!

This is about increasing your emotional intelligence.  Just how great of a teammate or promotable person are you if you lose your cool?  Why diminish your chances — certainly not in a situation that is uncontrollable — even though it may seem like perfectus momentus for a rant? (Can anyone else hear Kelly Clarkson belting out “A Moment Like This” right now?)

How about taking another tact?  There are choices that won’t get your butt in a sling with your coworkers, cause you to be labeled a misfit or possibly omitted from the promotable list.  What can you do instead?

Here are five steps to better Emotional Intelligence on Managing Americans.

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