Today I went back to school. I have a PhD, and have done three yoga teacher trainings and Ayurveda trainings, so I am no newbie to school. But today I went to Weatherhead Management – this is part of Case Western Reserve’s Business School. This is a new thing for me. I recently launched my own business, as a Yoga Health Coach, filtering this ancient knowledge through the modern lens of neuroscience. As I gained more experience coaching people, I talked to people about my findings and one of my husbands colleagues recommended this program at Case, which has a large focus on how to be a resonant leader, emotional intelligence and how to work with successful CEOs of businesses.
The majority of the people in the room today were managers in big businesses, coming from all over Cleveland, Ohio, New York, Chicago, Pittsburgh and even from France! We watched videos, listened to lectures, broke into small groups.
Our teacher has coached many different people – managers in Fortune 500 manufacturing businesses, CEOs of small R&D companies – men, women, young and old. She had some wonderfully pithy instructions for us, as we considered particular elements of what it means to be emotionally intelligent, how we recognize and cultivate it in others and how to create a culture where EI is valued.
Research is overwhelmingly in support of the value of EI and how it contributes to success in sales, in marketing and many other aspects of business, even in the Armed Forces – those in leadership positions who place a large value on EI show high rates of return service 100% compared to the average of 54% (sailors signing up for another 9 month tour on board a ship) and much higher rates of satisfaction.
One comment that the Professor made, which resonated with me was this:
Be a leader of people, not a manager of things.
This makes sense on many levels. We can think about how this works in the workplace, and in the home. Am I focused on what my son thinks about the book he is reading, whether the questions make sense to him, or whether he has produced his homework? Am I focused on how my student feels as she attempts headstand for the first time, or whether she actually managed to do it or not? Am I focused on whether my client is shutting off her laptop and starting a healthy evening routine, or whether this concept makes sense to her and what I can do to help promote her healthy habit?
Whether we deal with ideas or whether we trade in actual things. Companies and families that are successful place emphasis on the people and how they are being valued and treated. This is the key. It made me pause and consider as a parent, as a teacher, as a coach – am I remembering to focus on the people and how they are feeling. Great bosses as compared to OK bosses are great because they make us FEEL great. Being a great leader is not about our IQ, it’s our Emotional Intelligence – how we connect with others, how we make them feel, how we empathize and connect with others.
This new quotation is going to hang on my office wall and in my kitchen. I will attempt to draw attention to the people, not the things in our lives.
BE A LEADER OF PEOPLE, NOT A MANAGER OF THINGS!