5 ways to respond with more emotional intelligence next time your buttons are pushed

5 ways to respond with more emotional intelligence next time your buttons are pushed

As desirable as happiness is, it’s not something any of us will experience ALL the time.

In fact, if we want to enjoy more happiness we need to manage unhappiness more effectively. And for some of us, there are certain triggers that “push our buttons” and place us at risk of emotional distress.

The good news, however, is that we can learn to respond more appropriately, with more emotional intelligence; and here’s how…

via Inc.com by Marcel Schwantes

Do you work with people who display emotional intelligence? Better yet, do you display your own emotional intelligence (EQ) when working with others? I’ve experienced my fair share of conflict and drama in the workplace — some of it brought on by me.

That’s where EQ does its best work; it has helped me with my own decision-making abilities and in managing relationships with others. Since most of us are in the “people business” — whether you work in close quarters to collaborate and innovate, or are in a customer-facing role — raising your EQ is a rather crucial skill to develop for success.

So when things get a little hairy due to opposing personalities, larger than life egos, and a stressful environment at work, what do you do when your buttons are pushed? Well, hopefully nothing that would immediately burn bridges or kill your reputation.

Here’s what you’ll find people with emotional intelligence masterfully doing to cope with handling other people’s crap.

1. They respond instead of react.

As leaders, when we stomp on the war path for revenge against some real or perceived corporate wrongdoing, and we react in anger, we are being impulsive, shortsighted, and usually not making decisions in our “right minds.”

In reacting in the heat of the moment, you may end up clouding your thinking and judgment and escalate what should’ve been a manageable dispute into an all-out war with someone reacting back with equal or greater force. Bad move.

But by responding, rather than reacting, emotionally-intelligent people step back, create space to consider the situation from all angles, and decide the best approach to handle things…

…keep reading the full & original article HERE