Book Review: Emotional Intelligence 2.0
Photo by Paul Pival
The Scrum Masters in the organization that I coach went to a class on EQ, and one of them let me borrow the book they received in it, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry. Like StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, this book includes a passcode to take an online assessment.
The book is organized by the 4 categories of emotional intelligence--self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management--and provides strategies for each category. I thought it was an interesting read, although I wish I had taken the online assessment first so that I would have thought more about what I might do differently in my everyday life. If it works with my schedule, I will likely take the EQ class. There was a quote about change that resonated with me:
Change can be a little...
Embarrassing, because as you practice new things, the very people who feel you ought to change may poke fun at you, forget to encourage you along the way, or not even notice. Don't give up. The rewards will outweigh these challenges because you will be better positioned personally and professionally than you ever were before.
I remember struggling with physics when I was in college, and my boyfriend at the time offered to tutor me. It was painful for me to listen to him explain the subject, and I didn't want to ask questions and show that I didn't understand. He wanted to help, but I wasn't fully open to it. There are times when I sense the people I coach are experiencing similar challenges to being open; I know the internal struggle to be vulnerable and risk making mistakes that others may see all too well. The book offered strategies to overcome those feelings, and I wish I had practiced them in the past.
In a typical "me" fashion, I rated myself rather harshly when I took the online assessment, and my scores are nothing to brag about. I had already been reflecting on my skills since I'd read the book, and that may have affected how I scored myself. Being aware of emotional intelligence is beneficial though, and I'm curious to see if I would score better in the future as I continue practice taking better care of myself by giving myself slack time to avoid burnout and add some of the book's strategies to my life.
