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Welcome to Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass. Jon is the founder and CEO of image group international, an award-winning image consulting and personal branding pioneer established in 1989. This podcast will bring you old-school wisdom, inspiring ideas, strategies and hacks for the new tech world. Here you will learn everything about personal branding: the system, the techniques and the right mindset to have a successful personal brand, image and reputation.
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Hi, everybody, and thank you for being here today. Let's continue our series the top skills that will reward you for life. Today, we will dive into a skill that's often under play but holds immense power in transforming your life both personally and of course, professionally. And it's virtually something that we all have and the times we don't use it and it's emotional intelligence, known as EI, but also known as EQ, meaning emotional hoti it. So doesn't matter which one you use, it's the same. And basically, for today's purposes, we use EQ. So EQ is like a compass for your emotions. There was a quote by a well known leadership expert. And he said emotional intelligence more than other factor more than IQ, where expertise accounts for 85 to 90% of success at work. IQ or EQ is a threshold competence. So you need it but doesn't make you a stop. Emotional intelligence can. And that was from a leadership experts, renowned the author Warren G. Bennis. And there's elements of that, that I certainly agree with, if certainly, we need IQ. But EQ is something that really transports it to another level of relatability, that certainly makes a difference in relationships. And we've all discussed before, the relationships, everything. It's the ability to recognise, understand and manage your emotions and become aware of those of others. And this is an important skill, because of course, being aware of yours is number one, being aware of others is virtually in congruence with that because it's going to help you have better communication, rapport, and of course, relationships, as we've discussed long term. So this self leadership skill, not only impacts your relationships, but also enhances your own empathy, your decision making and overall well being. So what I mean by that is regarding, you know, empathy, and overall Welby, well, if you've ever worked, for instance, with people on the spectrum, especially autism, and I have, basically, they're very intelligent, they have a lot of relatability going on, but they don't know how to bring it out. And this is where understanding other human beings makes a big difference. And of course, if you're dealing with some really powerful business people, and change makers out there, trust me a lot are also on the spectrum. And at times do not know how to communicate that in a powerful way. I've met a lot of them. And I would say, and I think Elon Musk is a great example of that. And he's actually admitted that, and he's actually celebrated that from a media perspective. So at its core, emotional intelligence, about recognising navigating, you know, the intricate landscape of human emotions. And I'll be the first to say, it's not the easiest, but it's certainly something that you want to have access to.
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So it's about understanding, you know, the emotional currents that sort of run through your own life and the lives of those around you. And this is obviously a great recognition when you can do that because emotions are virtually in all of us at times, we just will not know how to read all in ourselves or another's and mastering the skill, of course, can lead to more fulfilling relationships, improved communication, and a greater sense of harmony in your personal and professional worlds. You know, it's, it's because people sort of understand new meaning they have some emotional intelligence, that also helps you as well, because you guys will be able to build a better relationship and vice versa. So what I want to share is, you know, what are some of these benefits and there's quite a few, but I'm going to keep it down to around five for today, again, so we've already discussed about enhanced personal relationships, interpersonal relationships, because you get to navigate and understand the emotions of yourself and of course, others. This leads to better communication, empathy, and of course, conflict resolution skills. Can you imagine being in a negotiation or you don't understand emotional intelligence, you can read body language, you can read eyes signals, you can virtually relate and That's the thing that so, of course, a great negotiator would have great eq as well. And this is very, very important to get a win win win for everybody, because it indicates also, you know, higher, you know, it's a higher intelligence of some kind. Of course, emotional intelligence is one of the highest intelligence possible. Effective leadership. Well, definitely leaders with high IQ tend to be more successful, you know, they are not robots, they are not lone wolves. They know that need to inspire and take the group with them, the workplace, in this case, their team, et cetera. And of course, politicians also understand this. Of course, the difference with politicians is, at times they might not actually believe it, they just good actors, a bit like Hollywood. So this is in the real world. This is a skill that basically, you know, and to be fair to politicians, the ones I have worked with, that were fairly incl about making a difference out there certainly had that inspires a good example is in the past, the well known Prime Minister Bob Hawke, for the Labour Party, he was definitely a prime minister with high emotional intelligence. So they can inspire and motivate their teams, I'm already noted that but they also create a positive work environment, and you know, handles stress and pressure with grace. So what that means is they get to understand you know, that we're all humans, we all have our ups and downs, we're sort of like a river that flows. And at times, that flow might actually be a lot faster or a lot slower. And understanding people at that level really makes a difference to them. And of course, the year because it fosters definitely loyalty and productivity in the workplace, your decision making becomes better, certainly, I believe, decision making, you know, you get to stack more of the odds in your favour and your stress management as well. So you don't have to get out having a blowout, every time things don't go your way. And of course, with other people, specifically, if they're having a little bit of a challenging time, you can also go off and get triggered, and specifically potentially damaged the relationship.
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So this sort of resilience contributes to overall well being and your career success without all levers right down from top leadership, CEO board level, to sales and teaching require e two. Now the people that haven't got high E two normally hide in between a guy and normally they get found out, because a two is very important and cannot be taught. Absolutely, what it means is you just got to open yourself up. And with the two of you that are certainly open up your heart, it's not a mind thing. It's about a heart. You know, it's it's a berry lighting, and relating has got nothing to do with the mind, it's got to do with the heart. So many employees obviously value it as if you're talking about even as a job skill, of course, because it's a crucial skill in the workplace, because you're going to be working with other people. And if you haven't got the emotional intelligence, right, you're not going to be able to certainly work in teams. And that's normally you might be put in the back room, specifically by yourself. I don't think many people want to live their lives that way. So what you want to do is take it on board, if you're not very good at it, it's okay, you can learn it, as long as you're open with the coach and believe that element of this is essential, of course, otherwise, your intelligence, it's like look like it's a bridge, it acts like a bridge, again, in connecting people a deeper level. And because it fosters understanding, and empathy. And also, what it does is understanding that in resolving conflicts, and of course, we're living in a world now where conflicts are sort of becoming very, very regular. It's an important skill to have. And it's an important skill to have for life. So emotional intelligence allows us to respond instead of reacting. And this is the key here. Now, if you look at the digital world right now, a great quote is by author Amit grey, it says as more and more artificial intelligence is entering the world, more and more motional intelligence must insert into leadership.
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Remember, AI is not going to be able to replace human Eetu it just can't why because it hasn't got a heart. If it does duplicate that it's going to be just a copy of that it's not going to be an original so for people out there that are ambitious, that definitely believe that the future is brilliant like I do, certainly the more you develop yourself and personal development as we know is a lifelong skills, the greater your opportunities rise. And of course what we call is you stack the odds in your favour as best as you can. So in your personal life emotional intelligence can lead to certainly more profound and harmonious relationships. So imagine you're with your partner if you got no under Standing emotional intelligence, you gotta be in serious trouble. You know, and of course, arguments spring up, by the way, this is the fun thing about partners, you know, husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends, et cetera, in family, and so on. Even if you've got great emotional intelligence doesn't mean arguments will not happen, you know, I see that as really, it's the white life is you anything both, obviously a very opinionated and you got big ideas, at times you're gonna have arguments, but what we're talking about emotional intelligence is not constructive, complete sort of resolution, as opposed to letting things hang out, and of course, bringing them into the next conversation, then that will actually create more problems. So with the two, you become definitely a better leader, I've said a collaborator, and of course, a team player. So this is very important. You know, I can't stress that enough. I think I've made my point on that. So in the real of personal branding, emotional intelligence, is obviously part of your personal branding. But it's not just a soft skill, it's actually a hard skill, because if it was a soft skill, from a language perspective, it's got the perception that it's easy. Now, if it was so easy, everybody would be perfect. communicators would be perfect relators, and will be perfect, specifically in building rapport, and friendship. But of course, we know that's not true, but it's definitely a learned skill. So if you're willing to be coachable, it can certainly be taught. But I certainly see it as a strategic asset. And of course, imagine where we were at school, in private school, but taught that as a serious study body language, understanding facial expressions have been taught also the the diversity and the neuro diversity of people out there. So we've got an understanding, as opposed to oh, there's something wrong with them.
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No, there's nothing wrong with other people that might be on the spectrum. You know, actually, I'd say there's something wrong with you, because having worked with many, many great people out that I can tell you the magic that they have a lot of SoCal, so called normal people, and nowhere near to the creativity in the spirit of this particular individual. So as you can see, I'm talking from experience here, having worked with some magnificent human beings that have been on the spectrum, and of course, leaders outstanding success, but at times, you might not know about it, because they haven't declared it to the world. So emotional intelligence equips you with the ability to understand your audience's emotional needs. So you can then communicate it in a way that resonates deeply and builds those authentic connections. So to wrap up, remember, EQ emotional intelligence is not just a skill, it's a way of relating to the world, and people in it. It's a soft leadership skill that has the power to improve relationships, enhance empathy, and elevate your overall well being. So if you're going to do it for any reason, do it for your selfish reason, to help your overall well being and who doesn't want to do that. So developing EQ is certainly a valuable investment in personal and professional growth. So it's up to you if you want to be coachable. If you're up for the opportunity, remember personal life development is a life skill. It's not something you go to do, you know, at school or university and then forget about it. Now. It's, it's it's a constant. It's a constant pathway, or roadway that you you know, you keep on travelling on as opposed to saying, No, that's enough. I don't need to do this anymore. It's a lifelong progression. So thank you for joining me on this journey into EQ emotional intelligence. In the upcoming episodes, we'll continue our exploration of the top skills that will enrich your luck personally and professionally. Until then, remember that your personal brand is shaped by the skills you cultivate and these skills are the building blocks of a successful and fulfilling life. Remember that you can contact me at any time. You'll find my email address in the episode description. You can also connect with me on social media. My Twitter is John on the line Michael, my LinkedIn is John Michael, and you can find me as image Group International on Facebook. Till next time, thank you for being on my show. And Cheerio.
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Jon Michail’s Personal Branding Masterclass Podcast is sponsored by Image Group International, a global team of practical, digitally savvy personal brand and image strategists based in Australia, committed to maximizing your impact, influence and authority in the business world. To learn more and apply for your personal coaching, seminars and group workshops, please visit imagegroup.com.au or call 1800 631 311.