Greetings,
Have you ever left a business meeting regretting that you didn’t speak up? Have you ever seen a peer express an idea that you originated but did not feel confident to present? As a manager, have you ever watched one of your direct reports repeat the same mistakes because you have held back giving him or her feedback? If you have answered, yes, to these questions then this could be an opportunity to learn about increasing your Assertiveness.
In
an earlier newsletter, I made the connections between a person’s Self-Regard skill and his or her inner voice and confidence level. Strong Self-Regard often reflects an individual’s confidence level.
For this skill, I describe Assertiveness as an individual’s external voice which, at times, may be very different from his or her internal thoughts and voice. Sometimes a person’s inner voice can be filtered to the point of silence. Leadership is about finding ways to express your thoughts and ideas to inspire others to act. I have known successful business leaders and professionals, with a great deal of experience, who were unable or unwilling to use their external voices.
WHAT IS ASSERTIVENESS?
Assertiveness is your ability to effectively communicate an idea opinion or point of view in a
clear, constructive manner.
WHAT DOES ASSERTIVENESS LOOK LIKE?
People who score high in Assertiveness on the EQ-i 2.0:
- Are able to defend or promote their thoughts, beliefs and principles
- Can be very clear and direct when they are in leadership situations making requests or issuing orders
- Know how to use the power and influence of their voices when speaking with individuals or groups
ASSERTIVENESS & EMPATHY
I believe that the two most important leadership lines on the EQ-i report are Assertiveness and Empathy and that there are consequences to an individual’s style if they are out of balance. As mentioned in the previous newsletter, a leader with too much Empathy may have trouble delegating or giving feedback which can lead to overwork and potential burnout. Likewise, a leader who relies too much on Assertiveness will also experience limits to his or her leadership style...
