An interesting angle on emotional intelligence in evaluating risk – through the lens of climbing, by APU instructor David McGivern.
In climbing, four personal attributes define a good climber:
- Attitude – a positive, reflective and rational is essential to developing the skills and mental clarity to make quick, rational and appropriate decisions for themselves and others.
- Capacity to build relationships – to build trust in each other, and understanding of communications
- Self Awareness – to know your own ability and strength, both physically and mentally.
However, each of the first two is secondary to the fundamental importance of self-awareness – to be aware of one’s own limits, and self-mastery, to understand how to respond to those personal limits.
Emotional intelligence is essential in making decisions as to how best to best move forward and when to stop. Its fundamental to the control of oneself and knowledge of one’s ability determines our capabilities to move forward.
Taking certain risks is part of a routine decision making, however risk in the climbing world is high and often disproportionate to the act of decision making in the business world. In climbing, the smallest lapse of judgement can bring the ultimate consequence – death. However, even in business, a developed sense of emotional intelligence is critical to interpretation of conditions, and how we might fare if we actively engage in those conditions.
In this way, emotional intelligence becomes a survival tool for business.
Author: Gail La Grouw. Insight Mastery Program Director, and Strategic Performance Consultant for Coded Vision Ltd.
