(Washington D.C. – April 17, 2024)
“If it were me, I would hope that …”
This simple, 8-word phrase immediately increases our Emotional Intelligence in almost any situation. It puts us in the shoes of the other person and attempts to see the situation through their lens.
And it’s this ability to deftly do this, which is the absolute core of emotional intelligence.\
Emotional intelligence is the combined measure of one’s ability to do four things simultaneously:
- Assess their own feelings
- Adjust their behavior in light of this awareness
- Imagine authentically what others may be feeling in that particular moment.
- Influence interactions between all members, accordingly
When we do this well, we are existing in high emotional intelligence. And as the percentages of us in this nation shift towards more and more of us existing in high emotional intelligence, the more adept we will be
with handling situations; from the smaller things (e.g., what should I order to eat), to the much more nationally impactful things (e.g., constitutional reproductive rights).
This latter topic is of specific interest to me, as today I had the honor of chatting with Katie Keith, Deputy Director of the Gender Policy Council. She is part of the leadership team rolling out the President’s initiative to restore reproductive freedoms for women around the country.
If there were a ranking of easy concepts to grasp, this one, I believe, would stand at the pinnacle; individuals should have the right to choose their level of involvement on the things that directly impact their own bodies.
Right?
Well, it seems some see it as much more involved than that.
As POTUS rolls out his plan to restore reproductive choice to all Americans, there are some who have very strong feelings about this initiative. There are some who consider themselves to be the voice of the voiceless; others deem themselves to be champions of natural law and universal, inalienable rights. And there are others who, in the midst of all this, somehow feel left out.
With so many sides to such a seemingly simple decision, how do we as Americans build bridges, honor all involved, and create the win-win-win?
We do this through the application of Emotional Intelligence.
Again, emotional intelligence theory consists of four major components: coming to terms with our own (strong) feelings about a topic; adjusting our behavior in light of this awareness; imagining others’ emotional/psychological impact; and then directing the interactions of all parties to achieve the best outcomes.
The theory is simple to understand. The challenge is in applying it in ways that bring us together.
My name is Rodney C. Burris. I am the White House Correspondent for BMORENews, a media outlet in Baltimore where our slogan is, “the news before the news.” This column will look at the events impacting our nation and filter them through the lens of Emotional Intelligence theory. Our goal will be to inform, to make aware, to facilitate connectivity, and then to increase the overall understanding of ourselves as a collective as we take a deep dive into the topics affecting our Emotionally Intelligent Nation.
