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When you’re pitching investors, you need a great product and a great story–that much is a given. But those aren’t the only things venture capitalists are looking for. Just as emotional intelligence (EQ, or EI) has steadily crept to the fore in hiring, it’s also “a critical part in the process that we go through when deciding whether or not to invest in a company,” says Janet Bannister, general partner at Real Ventures. As Bannister sees it, “A leader with strong EQ can hire people to complement their skill set and cover for areas where they are weak. However, someone low in EQ will never be able to attract, retain, and motivate high performers–and therefore will have huge difficulties in scaling a company.” She isn’t the only VC who’s thinking this way about sizing up founders’ emotional intelligence. Here are a few key questions that seven other investors like Bannister typically ask to assess entrepreneurs who pitch them for funding.
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We may live in a digital world, but soft skills like communication, problem solving, collaboration, and empathy are becoming more valued than technology, says Paul Roehrig, chief strategy officer for Cognizant Digital Business, a business and technology service provider. “People skills are more and more important in an era where we have powerful and pervasive technology,” he says. “It sounds counterintuitive, but to beat the bot, you need to be more human.” When evaluating their hiring plans for 2017, 62% of employers rate soft skills as very important, according to CareerBuilder. But a recent survey by the Wall Street Journal found that 89% of executives are having a difficult time finding people with these qualities.
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All the data suggesting that coding is rapidly becoming an essential skill for any job–not just one in tech–only tells one side of the story. The other side indicates that soft skills such as critical thinking, problem solving, attention to detail, and writing proficiency top the list of what hiring managers find missing from job seekers’ personal tool kits. But according to theWorld Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report, one the job skills that will make a candidate competitive in the job market of the future is emotional intelligence. The WEF predicts it will be among the top ten in 2020. How emotionally intelligent are you now? There are several ways to test it (including one that’s so accurate it’s creepy). The good news is that even if you’re a bit deficient on some traits, emotional intelligence can be improved. Here are some suggestions on boosting your EQ right away.
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What’s the point of networking if not to get other people to like you? Sure, you need new contacts to see you as interesting, competent, professional, and potentially valuable to them—but if they don’t also find you likeable, nobody will feel motivated to reach out later and work with you. The reason why all comes down to emotional intelligence, the set of skills and qualities that allow people to form deeper, closer relationships with others. Likability is a key ingredient in that, and its career benefits are pretty obvious. For instance, being likeable—and liking your coworkers in return—can increase your chances of getting promoted. But when it comes to first impressions, you don’t always have much time to get people to like you. So here are a few straightforward things that the most emotionally intelligent people do to cement their likability from the get-go.
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There are few occasions where having high emotional intelligence (EQ) comes in handy more than when you disagree with your boss. But it's hardly the only one. Many of us would even happily trade off a few IQ points in exchange for some extra EQ. In fact, people with very high IQs but lower emotional intelligence may be more likely to upset their bosses by focusing too much on the logical side of an argument while ignoring the social and emotional dimensions. In fact, the most effective approach to disagreeing with your manager should really be based on EQ rather than IQ. Unsurprisingly, research suggests that employees with higher emotional intelligence are generally more rewarding to deal with, which is why they're more often promoted than those who aren't. In a world that still bases so many crucial career decisions on a single subjective factor in the eyes of one's direct manager, likability often trumps ability and work ethic.
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As an FBI counterintelligence agent, I relied heavily upon emotional intelligence to be successful in identifying foreign spies and recruiting them to work for the U.S. government. Emotional intelligence is your ability to 1) identify and manage your own emotions; 2) pick up on the emotions of others and manage them; and 3) in so doing, build trust and grow influence. It is not necessarily a skill that people associate with FBI agents. Loud, boisterous, and pushy behavior may get attention, but it certainly does not get respect. Meanwhile, a softer skill like emotional intelligence often goes unnoticed because it is not related to book smarts or a formula that includes aggressive behavior relying upon intimidation to be effective.
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There is a world of difference between normal activity and peak performance. It’s the glimpses into the peak state that fuel the intuition that we’re meant for greater things. In this article, we’ll take a look at peak performance and a surprisingly simple strategy for more consistently tapping into our peak mode. The Psychology of Peak Performance Two elements turn ordinary activities into performance activities: 1) we keep score of the outcomes that matter and 2) we institute practice measures to systematically pursue the improvement of our scores. Such deliberate practice lies at the heart of the development of chess players, athletes, Broadway stars, and elite medical facilities. Once we keep score and devote ourselves to a continuous improvement in what we do and how we do it, we transform routine into growth. Recreation is not a cumulative activity. It is activity pursued at the time for its own sake. Peak performance, on the other hand, is cumulative: it’s a focused, ongoing attempt at improvement. We can go to the gym for enjoyment or we can go to the gym to train for aerobic conditioning. The first activity is expressive and present-centered; the second is instrumental and forward-focused.
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Emotional intelligence predicts people’s ability to regulate themselves, manage other people, and achieve success. Research shows a link between emotional intelligence and career success. Not everyone is born with it, but unlike IQ, emotional intelligence can be acquired and improved with practice. So, how can we tell if someone’s got it or not? Here are five signs of people with high emotional intelligence. These are qualities that are easy to assess in every day situations. Sign No. 1: They handle criticism without denial, blame, excuses or anxiety. One of the hallmarks of high emotional intelligence is self-awareness. Self-awareness is a deep understanding of what makes us tick; what angers us, makes us happy, bores and interests us. It’s also means that we can appraise ourselves, faults and all, with great honesty and clarity. So when people with high emotional intelligence make a mistake and get criticized for it, it doesn’t send them into an emotional tailspin. It’s simply a fact to be noted, analyzed and corrected.
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Most people won’t admit it, but we size up other people's characters all the time. In fact, research suggests that it takes just 30 seconds to make up our minds about someone’s intelligence and personality (we make other assessments even faster) and that these evaluations are surprisingly accurate. In one study, researchers showed participants short videos of different couplesinteracting, and participants were able to detect which individuals had cheated on their partners. Likewise, observers watching videos of randomly selected speed daters were able to infer participants' level of romantic interest. Even when the people being evaluated are children, observers can infer their character with a similar degree of accuracy than the children’s parents do. So the idea that you can’t judge a book by its cover is inconsistent with the evidence: People, it seems, are fairly transparent and we can see through them pretty easily and accurately
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Connecting with others is at the heart of human nature. Recent research emphasizes that the power of connections can help us be creative, resilient, even live longer. But we can easily overlook the importance of these bonds. As popular writer and researcher Adam Grant has noted, the pressure of tight deadlines and the pace of technology mean that fewer Americans are finding friendship in the workplace. In fact, many of us are further disconnecting from the people we work with: we’re more stressed out than ever, and half of us regularly experience incivility in our jobs. How can we create possibilities for connection in what is sometimes a hostile atmosphere? We believe there needs to be more compassion.
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Mindfulness has become the corporate fad du jour, a practice widely touted as a fast-track to better leadership. But we suspect that not all the benefits laid at its feet actually belong there. Our research and analysis has revealed a complicated relationship between mindfulness and executive performance—one that is important for leaders to understand as they seek to develop in their careers. Mindfulness is a method of shifting your attention inward to observe your thoughts, feelings, and actions without interpretation or judgment. A mindfulness practice often begins simply by focusing on your breath, noticing when your mind wanders, and then bringing it back to your breath. As you strengthen your ability to concentrate, you can then shift to simply noting your inner experience without getting lost in it at any point in your day. The benefits attributed to this kind of practice range from stronger relationships with others to higher levels of leadership performance.
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Getting smart people into your company is hard enough. Turning them all into great collaborators and risk-takers is even harder. Even on the most high-performing teams, coworkers don’t just openly share feedback and challenge each others’ ideas all on their own–managers need to create a culture that encourages this. And that usually requires building your team’s collective emotional intelligence. Here are a few straightforward (and entirely low-tech ways) to get started.
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A few weeks ago, after receiving a 21-page PDF report breaking down my so-called “emotional intelligence,” I did the logical thing and forwarded it to my boyfriend. He glanced at the list of categories on the second page and exclaimed—before reading my results—”Flexibility, uh oh!” The report was the result of an assessment I’d taken three weeks prior called the EQ-i 2.0, which is based on nearly 20 years of research and has been taken by some 2 million people—and sure enough, it told me I’m about as inflexible as people close to me seem to think I am. Shortly afterward I scheduled a call with its developer, Steven J. Stein, who reviewed my results and offered this suggestion: “I would start looking at how you operate—what your routines are, how you get through a day.” When I asked him for an example of a routine I might want to shake up, he said, “Like, eat a different breakfast or something.”
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Say you’re a high performer who's risen through the ranks. Now you have even bigger responsibilities. Or you're working your way toward a promotion and need to show your skills and professionalism in the best light. Then the phone call comes. The results of your medical tests weren't good. Or you suddenly have to take care of a loved one in an emergency. Or there's an unexpected financial hit that could spell catastrophe. Whatever the situation, your life just got much more complicated. While intuitively you know that these things can happen to anyone, the anxiety of dealing with such troubling events, coupled with the pressure to continue to perform in your job, amps up the stress to DEFCON 1. "A curveball like that requires sharpening your coping skills and expanding them so that you can deal with what’s being demanded of you," says clinical psychologist Alicia H. Clark, adjunct professor at the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. And there is a strategic approach you can take to help you cope and perform better, even when you’re operating under extreme stress.
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Performance reviews have been reportedly going extinct for quite some time. But they aren't completely in the grave yet, and maybe they shouldn't be. Despite the dread with which many employees greet their year-end evaluations,psychological studies have shown that people still generally find them useful—as long as those reviews offer a chance to discuss relevant issues, outline key objectives, and provide constructive feedback. But for that to happen, you need to go in prepared. In fact, you may think the biggest factor in your success is how you perform throughout the year, but your manager may know less about how well you're actually performing than you may hope—meaning your annual review might count for more than you imagine. That can be good news for you, though. These are three tips, based on some fundamentals of human psychology, to help tilt the field in your favor.
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Successful people come from all walks of life, yet they all have one thing in common: where others see impenetrable barriers, they see challenges to embrace and obstacles to overcome. Their confidence in the face of hardship is driven by their ability to let go of the negativity that holds so many otherwise sensible people back.Obstacles do not block the path; they are the path. This perspective helps successful people to think differently to everyone else, which is important, because if you think like everyone else, no matter how smart or experienced you are, you’ll hit the same ceiling. By thinking outside the box and going against the grain, successful people rise above their limitations. And it all starts with their morning routines. Here’s how ultra-successful people utilize the first hours of the day:
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Emotions play an active role in almost all of our decision making. That's one reason why emotional intelligence, the ability to identify, understand, and manage those emotions, is such an invaluable skill. But how specifically does emotional intelligence help us with our daily tasks? Here are three tips to make sure your next presentation is emotionally intelligent: 1. Don't get anxious. Get excited. All of us get nervous before a presentation, even if we've done it hundreds of times. So take that nervousness and turn it into something positive: enthusiasm.How do you do that exactly? Spend those final few moments reviewing your favorite parts of the presentation. Remind yourself why you're doing this, and focus on the value you have to deliver to your listeners. Now, take that enthusiasm and give a talk that you passionately believe in.
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Advantages of Being an Ambivert When you understand what it's like to be both an extrovert and an introvert, it can help you relate to the people you work with better. Especially, if you are in a leadership position. Here are the ways I've used being an ambivert to my advantage. 1) I know when to give introverts time to collect their thoughts. Introverts aren't comfortable being put on the spot. They appreciate time to contemplate and then respond. I allow my introverted coworkers ample time to review and come to their own conclusions so they can feel comfortable articulating their ideas and responses. 2) I know when to give extroverts the opportunity to speak their mind. Extroverts want to openly contribute. They are energized by speaking and engaging with others. I create opportunities for my extroverted coworkers to talk and share their thoughts and feelings so they can be heard. 3) I can sense when an extrovert is overwhelming an introvert. When an extrovert is spending too much time talking, it can be a major distraction for the introvert. There are times when I need to step in and create opportunities for the introvert to have some quiet time to calm his or her brain.
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These are five key questions investors ask to determine whether they’re being pitched by emotionally intelligent founders.