Which is more powerful? The mind, or your emotions?

If you have had any contact with me in The Inevitable You® content, (AND… this IS the “Demystify Leadership” blog!) you know that I talk about the differences between IQ and EQ leadership.

You also know that one of the keys to success of high achievers is their ability and commanded drive to use new “success psychology” in times of crisis and stress. Here’s your big question today:

Which toolset do you fall back on during intensity: IQ/ rational/ “think-my-way-through- this-crisis”…. or… EQ/ emotional intelligence and fluency?

Which one do you believe your team wants from you?

We would like to see ourselves as very rational creatures. We think our “thinking and reasoning” creates our power. We think it’s emotions that are the messy part of what we do. However, not only is this only partially true (and only true to the extent that you continue to believe it!) our true power, especially in adversity, lies in our emotional fluency and power.

The illusion of rationality is conducted through the “routine” of our daily habits and actions, which helps us to maintain calm and apparent control. Our minds are extremely strong when we are following our routines. But when adversity hits us square in the keister, our emotional responses take over. And since we have not empowered the emotional response to be greater than the rational one, most of us shrink and contract and attempt to “think” our way out of the situation.

Know this, it is far more likely for both you and your team that your mind is weaker than the emotional matrix. What is ironic is that the emotional matrix is actually defined by and springs from the mind! But you only become aware of this weakness in the moments of adversity – precisely when you need the emotional strength. Do you feel inspired and is adrenaline a positive chemical reaction to stress? Or, do you become cautious and hesitate and think old thoughts? (they got you to the success you are today, they just cannot get you to the success you need tomorrow.)

Many will tell you that you cannot teach or learn this skill – even traditional psychology with its experts today blathering that “emotions are neither right nor wrong, they just are,” say this. The Inevitable You® Coaching System contains the knowledge, the tools, the designed application and integration of all of this to allow you to not only expand your thought process in a crisis, now you know more importantly you must expand your emotions as well!

Really spend some time pondering this message. Where are you? Where do you wish to go? Do you know how to get there?