Intuition Is A Gift
Emotional Intelligence starts with recognizing how emotions affect our actions. Daniel Goleman, one of the leading researchers in the field of emotional intelligence, asserts that the rational mind takes a moment or two longer to register and respond than the emotional mind. The first impulse, he claims, is in the heart, not the head.
If Goleman is correct, then shouldn’t our intuition serve us well in all situations? I think intuition is always there to guide us, and I have personally experienced this. As a manager seeking solutions, logic would often override my intuition in an important decision. Later, reflecting on the outcome, the discarded instinctive response may have afforded a better solution. I am certain that if you ponder this, you will realize that it has probably happened for you, too.
I have used my emotional intelligence throughout my career, even before it became a buzzword. As a successful manager of an investment program in a $30 billion bank, my good fortune and effective management were often attributed to the fact that I was female. I always had a vision, to the point of being called a dreamer.
Vision is what inspires us, say James A. Belasco and Ralph C. Stayer, authors of a 1993 leadership book called Flight of the Buffalo. They stated that “Long-term successful companies stand for more than just profit and big salaries.” Sounds like emotional intelligence to me.
I was part of a management team that consisted of eleven people (one for each state in our territory). I was the only woman and the number one manager not only in sales but also in employee retention and customer satisfaction scores. They often teased me about having “the woman’s touch” or a “good gut” when explaining my successful recruiting.
Years later, I realized that my intuition had always served me well when it came to hiring, firing and retention. Intuition and emotional intelligence guided my coaching and training as well as my decisions on whether or not to give raises or promotions. Emotional Intelligence helped me know when to be extra sensitive and when to increase pressure. It has served me well on every project I have encountered. In fact, the only complaint that ever showed on my annual review was that I often reacted based on feelings rather than facts but that there was also no harm done in the process.
Through the years, our firm performed studies such as left brain vs. right brain, Herman brain tests and DiSC. In all of these, I was assessed as right brained, a creative thinker, spiritual and less logical than the rest. Yet I won awards for leadership, remained a top performer and was enthusiastically engaged in the welfare of my team. I was a puzzle. It was my intuition, also, that made me realize the importance of being a competent manager as well as a spirited leader. Instinct encouraged me to seek mentoring and knowledge whenever and wherever it was available.
This hallmark of my ability to lead will live forever in my heart. When I finally decided to head out on my own, my entire team held a going away dinner in my honor. I was surprised to see every single employee there. As I left to pull out of the parking lot, my convertible top down to accommodate all the flowers I received, there they were on the corner, in downtown San Francisco, singing “Happy Trails to You,” oblivious to the group of onlookers that had gathered.
You probably guessed that I cried all the way home. What else would you expect from an emotionally intelligent manager?
Author's note: An 20-year veteran of the securities industry, advisor coach Patti Branco is a securities industry consultant, and founder of Patti Branco Management Solutions. And can be reached at 903-451-9800. 
