This is the third blog post on the concept of Emotional Intelligence. Daniel Goleman has studied, researched and written exhaustively on Emotional Intelligence. In my current graduate class I am reading some of his material as it relates to leaders and how they handle organizational change.
Emotional Intelligence is defined by Goleman as "the ability to manage ourselves and our relationships effectively - consists of four fundamental capabilities: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and social skill. Each capability, in turn, is composed of specific sets of competencies."
Social Awareness:
"Empathy: skill at sensing other people's emotions, understanding their perspective, and taking an active interest in their concerns."
"Organizational awareness: the ability to read the currents of organizational life, build decision networks, and navigate politics."
"Service orientation: the ability to recognize and meet customer's needs."
Every interpersonal structure has a social environment. The ability to be aware of other people, their needs, and understanding group dynamics is key for a healthy situation. I have been in churches and businesses in which people are very unaware of the social situation and reek havoc on everyone.
Some perceive it is all about them and what they feel is the path to follow. Selfishness in the home, church of business only breeds manipulation and other narcissistic behaviors. Jesus was amazingly aware of the social dynamics of his disciples and people with whom he interacted. He did have a clear vision of where he was going, but did not shove it down people's throats.
The ability to understand how to relate to people who have a choice to come into your social circle is vital. Guests who come into a community of believers are very keen on how they are treated and whether they are perceived to be important. It is very easy for church leaders and members to focus mainly on pleasing the already saved, rather than setting a table for the guest to enjoy the feast. Members obviously are going to be fed, but also are feeders of guests.
So...how is your emotional intelligence in this area of social awareness? When you arrive at the community event on Sunday and Wednesday, how prepared are you to be a part of the feeding of others?
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