Emotional Intelligence and Your Leadership & Marketing Potential

Over the course your life, it's likely that you will spend at least one-third of your time at work. Crazy realization, right? With that much time and energy spent on the job, it's difficult to not become emotionally attached to it in some capacity.

However, it's widely debated as to whether emotions should exist in the workplace.

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Our guest this week enlightened us with a thought-provoking comparison: the baby boomer generation typically operated with a live-to-work mentality, whereas today's millenials are demanding a more work-to-live lifestyle with very different expectations.

This guest is none other than Britney Godsey, Vice President of Sales for Gold Bond Inc. In Episode 5, she dives into the topic of emotional intelligence and how it plays a more significant role than ever on a leader's success and a company's potential.

So what is emotional intelligence? Made popular by the Dan Goldman book, it's defined as being able to recognize, understand and manage our own emotions as well as the emotions of others. As a leader of a 50-person team, being a high-functioning leader with strong emotional intelligence is no easy task! But luckily for us, she gave us some valuable take-aways in the areas of leadership, sales and marketing.

Leadership | Happiness Canvas

Britney talks with us a great deal about her moral code and how it's the basis for all she does as a leader at Gold Bond. She finds that the morality in her actions is what defines her level of greatness, which is why she focuses a great deal of attention on her team of 50 associates. How in the world does she manage that?

In a one-hour strategy session, she and her team get together to celebrate wins, discuss losses and let out any frustrations that are festering amongst the group. Britney told us she understands her team is emotionally charged about their work because they care, and as such, she wants to make sure the communication channel is wide open for people to share their thoughts.

Getting people to open up can be a challenge, especially if they're used to an environment that tends to follow sharing with judgement or ridicule. What Britney does is give her team members a "Happiness Canvas" that gives them a way to privately express how they're feeling in their role. How are they feeling as a member of the team? Do they feel appreciated? Are there resources missing that would help them do their job better? By asking these questions, Britney can get a quick temperature check to make sure everyone is on the same page and there is no unhealthy vibes festering amongst the group.

There are a couple tips that she offers along with this technique.

1. Always follow up, even with the positive remarks to let your team members know they've been heard. Especially address any negative comments by asking them if they can elaborate a little so you can gain a better understanding.
2. People can take advantage of your vulnerability, and it's OK to push back a little if a employing rational thought is necessary. Reminding your associate that there is still a job to be done is a gentle way to help them see the bigger picture.

Marketing | Video Creates a Connection

It's no secret that video has become the most popular (and effective) marketing tool, especially on social media. But why? Video allows your authenticity to shine through, Britney tells us. By being vulnerable and honest (and sometimes silly), with a video, your target audience is more likely to relate to and connect with you. For instance, as a brand manufacturing company, a custom pen is a common marketing tool that they offer. Rather than just talking about the pen, they are choosing to show an actual person using the pen and discussing how that pen can be used to market your brand.

If you're still on the fence about producing video for your company, Britney offers you a little food for thought:

• Giving your brand a personality give your audience a way to better relate.
• 3D media brings your brand to life and provides a more dynamic (and real) way to connect with your audience.
• You don't have to be too polished with your video because your audience will appreciate the real you better than a stodgy, robotic version of you.
• Don't drone on, just give them the highlights and include more details in your post or via a website link.
• Feature behind-the-scenes videos or include people who are rarely seen by the public like your CEO or owner.
• Publish your video in different channels to allow a larger audience to find them and engage with you.

Sales | Britney's Knowledge Bombs

We couldn't let the conversation end without asking Britney about her sales secrets. It was no surprise that she came right back to us with two great nuggets to always keep in mind while trying to close a deal.

1. Be Honest: If you don't know an answer to something, tell your client! They are likely to respect you more if you don't make something up on the fly or stutter over your words trying to sound like you know what you're talking about. They will read right through it! Instead, tell them you'll look into it! The same goes for a sales request. Maybe they're wanting better pricing or a change to a contract. Don't be over-eager and over-promise. Take a breath, let them know you'll look into it, and then follow up with an answer in a timely manner. It really will be OK.
2. Stop Hunting the Sale: Britney admits to us that she loves the challenge of sales, but has learned that being a hunter and gatherer is no way to really achieve success. Instead, she suggests that you get to know your client on a personal level. Building the rapport and relationship with them will get you much farther than by focusing on the dollar signs.