How to Grow a Profitable Business: Emotional Intelligence

There’s no one fixed method of being successful.  Eventually, everyone has to find their own way of getting ahead.  Some people do it by focusing on creating a spectacular product.  Others do it by developing their people skills.  Whether you’re product or people-focused, there’s going to be some way of being successful that’s right for you.  Here are some tips on how to grow a profitable business:

Before we get started, I want you to take a moment to watch a video of Jim Carey talking about the power of thought, visualization, and emotional intelligence.  After you have watched it, leave a comment on the blog post telling us what you thought of his remarks. 

Emotional Intelligence

Daniel Goleman, author of Emotional Intelligence, suggests that emotionally savvy people  have a greater chance of getting ahead.  What separates these folks from others is that they’re able to pick themselves up after a failure, dust off and keep going.  Rather than getting caught in a downward spiral of low self-esteem and anxiety, they don’t waste any time in getting back to the task.  So if you keep going and trying out different things, you’re sure to hit upon something that will work for you. 

As this writer from Huffington Post puts it, “By understanding that our brains automatically—and without full justification—crank up the perceived urgency of here-and-now problems, we can set these perceived emergencies aside for just a few moments in order to think big.”

When faced with a problem, the human brain is wired to react in terms of fight or flight.  Some of us are more prone to fight while others prefer flight.  However, we no longer live in a dinosaur age where these qualities will serve us well.  Our contemporary lifestyle is such that it’s more important to think rationally and visualize the future completely.  This means that you have to put aside any emotions that might be getting in your way in the moment and keep your long-term vision in mind. 

Visualization

You can also use visualization to get a better idea of where you want your business to go.  There are many visualization techniques that can help you out.  The basic technique, as recommended by Rhonda Byrne who wrote The Secret, is to just close your eyes and imagine what your business looks like 5 or 10 years in the future.  Try to get as detailed as you can about everything.

What type of location are you working in?  How big is it?  What do you see as you walk around your offices?  What color are the walls?  Have you put up any artwork?  Do you have a view?  How many employees do you have?  Is it a busy, noisy office or a quiet one?  Who are your clients?  What does your product look like?  Do you have a number of different departments or do you outsource certain functions such as accounting and bookkeeping?  Try and get a really detailed mental image of everything you possibly can. 

Doing this can help you to see in what direction you need to move right now.  But even if it doesn’t have an immediate benefit, it will have a long-term one because you’ll unconsciously be moving in the direction that corresponds to your mental vision.

If you can’t summon up mental images that easily, try writing down a description of your business five or ten years hence.

Collage

Another great visualization exercise, recommended by Julia Cameron, author of The Artist’s Way, is pulling out a bunch of images that appeal to you from business magazines.  Just buy some of the popular business magazines available at your local newsstand.  Then flip through them quickly and pull out the images that appeal to you.  Don’t overthink this process.

Then get a piece of posterboard on which you can paste these images together to make a collage.  Keep the collage where you’ll be able to see it everyday—either at home or at your office.  If you find new images that you prefer to the older ones, add them to the existing collage or make a new one.  Then watch the images come to life in your business.

Contact us for more great tips on running a profitable business.