THE POSTS WITH THIS HEADING ARE FOR PARENTS, BOSSES, TEACHERS, COACHES, ANYONE WHO IS CHARGED WITH LEADING SOMEONE TO WHERE THEY MIGHT NOT WANT TO GO, DOING SO REQUIRES A JUDICIOUS AND THOUGHTFUL USE OF POWER. POWER LEADERS NEED TWO THINGS:
STRONG SELF SOOTHING SKILLS When people in power don’t properly handle fear, anger, or hurt, hurt accumulates, and negative exchanges mount. Most people who gain the power needed to be leading another have some of the Emotional Fitness Training skills needed to handle the negative emotions that are part of being a leader. When stress mounts, however, fitness erodes, so every person with power over another needs strong self-soothing skills.
Here’s a quick and easy self-soothing exercise:
- Center. That means take a deep, calming breath in, holding the breath for a count of 4, and then slowly breathing out while saying Ahhhhh and smiling.
- See a safe place and see yourself and your child in that place, relaxing and loving each other.
- If visualizing doesn’t work too well for you, sing an inspiring song or use a helpful slogan. “Now is not forever” or “Let go and let God” are slogans many find usesful. ”Life goes on” is yet a third.
- When you feel calmed, center again and then go about doing what you have to do.
See our Daily 12 Exercises for more self-soothing exercises.
TO REMEMBER WHAT MATTERS
This is one the heart of Emotional Fitness Training and particularly important for leaders to know and remember.
Once there was a great divide among those who offer leadership advice. Some take the Drill Sergeant Approach while others and are so busy offering praise and acceptance, leading is lost. All the research shoes what actually works is a combination of the two, but only when the mission and goals are clear and properly articulated. This is what we mean by Remember What Matters.
Not only does the leader need a mission and well set goals for the business at hand, s/he needs a personal mission, personal goals, and needs to help those she is leading find articulate their life mission and set achieveable goals.
For more information about Emotional Fitness go to The EFTI Webpage. Want a coach? Don’t think you can afford one? You can. See EFTI’s Products and Services Page. Our electronic coaching products start at $0.99. Money back if not satisfied with our products.
