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The Principles of Emotional Intelligence•Awareness of our individual personality style will help us avoid an-
noying others of opposite styles.
•Awareness of why certain types of people grate on our nerves will
help us to be emotionally prepared for them.- Understanding why we react the way we do is the first step toward
changing the way we react.
Understanding the inherent strengths and challenges in our own per-
sonality and making necessary adjustments is a giant leap toward develop-
ing emotional intelligence. We must gain a clear understanding of how our
personality impacts others and is perceived by others. We must also learn to
recognize the type of personality we are attempting to communicate with,
so that we do not unwittingly arouse negative emotional reactions and shut
down the communication process. Emotional intelligence is a matter of
knowing yourself, knowing those around you, and knowing the adjustments
you need to make. This process allows us to move from a meto a wemind-set.
MOVING FROM METO WE
“There is a certain type of purchaser that absolutely drives me up a
tree. The sort that obsesses over meaningless detail, doesn’t respond
to anything I say, and never wants to pull the trigger. I’m sure I’ve
lost many sales with these people because of my barely concealed
annoyance. I think they sense it and become tenser than they
already are. If I was better at masking my agitation or had
a better game plan for managing this type, I’m sure it
would lead to much greater volume.”
—M.V. BOYENGA, Manufacturer’s Representative