From the course: Developing Your Emotional Intelligence

Shift perspective to shape behavior

From the course: Developing Your Emotional Intelligence

Shift perspective to shape behavior

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- Do you often see things from other points of view? It can be hard when you feel passionately about something. But this gives you an advantage because you may learn something new. It also allows you to preempt how someone else may view a situation, and help you to understand how best to deal with that situation. With a broader perspective, you can consider other points of view before making decisions about how to behave, which helps you to build successful and collaborative relationships. Here's how to make that happen. Rather than viewing alternative points of views as a nuisance or inconvenience, actively seek out alternative opinions and arguments to your own. You'll discover alternative ways to view situations. And considering an alternative opinion will help you to find new and innovative approaches to challenges. You don't necessarily need to change your opinion, but you will have an idea of other opinions that will help you when you're communicating your thoughts. You'll already have an idea about how others may view your opinion. Another technique is to ask more questions, listen to what others have to say, and ask how they see the world around them. As well as broadening your perspective, you'll also build your relationship with that person, which is an additional positive outcome. Spend time with new people. It's easy to get into a routine of speaking to the same people, or the same kind of people. But building relationships with those outside of your normal peer group will give you insight into completely different perspectives. Read more in general, and more broadly. It's critical you are always learning and expanding your horizons. If you enjoy this process, it's an easy technique to implement. But even if you are not much of a reader even a simple routine of reading on your commute or 20 minutes before bed, or even in your lunch break will help you to explore alternative points of view. Undoubtedly, the ability to broaden personal perspective is a common skill displayed by high performing individuals. How developed is your perspective? Pause for a moment to think about a time you viewed a challenge from all angles before responding. What was the outcome, and what did you learn? Feel free to pause here for a moment to consider these questions. Often, taking the time to assess a situation and consider all points of view will put you in the best position to respond effectively and efficiently, achieving an outcome that you are happy with.

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