Emotional Agility

Rebecca introduces her upcoming series on Emotional Agility and understanding the elements of emotional intelligence.

I recently finished a 6 month contracting role with a technology consultancy.  As part of my role as Agile Transformation Lead I undertook some internal Agile Coaching.  Rather than focusing on simply agile as a practice, I wanted to explore softer skills coaching and leadership development.  

To say the client facing work during these 6 months was intense for all involved, is a wild understatement! We had people start with the company and leave within 2 weeks.  We had another team member leave due to stress.  

Given this intensely high pressure environment, I created and ran a coaching workshop on Understanding Emotional Intelligence.  This is something I’ve been a little obsessed with since my ex-CEO (thank you Michael Olaye!) gave me a copy of Harvard Business Review’s ‘On Emotional Intelligence’ book, back in 2017.  

I’m going to put out a little series on emotional agility and understanding the elements of emotional intelligence, covering:

• Self-awareness

• Self-management

• Motivation

• Empathy

• Managing relationships

For my first piece I’ll discuss managing stress. I cover this as part of ‘Self-management’ in my Understanding Emotional Intelligence workshop. 

Considering my last contract, it feels particularly relevant to dive into stress management first, it’s always been something I’ve personally struggled with. When being passionate and dedicated turns into an inability to switch off and a loss of perspective, we can become oblivious to just how stressful our lives are.  

I’ll be putting out these posts over the next 2 weeks. I hope you all find something useful and relevant in them. Either way I’d love to hear your comments and feedback. Especially regarding subjects you feel are not often discussed and need a particular focus.