“The greatest good you can do another is not just share your riches, but reveal to him his own.” -- Benjamin Franklin Article contributed by Amy Sargent If you've ever had someone pour into you to develop you into your best self, you understand how amazing that feels. To have someone who believes in you enough to take the time to help you develop and grow is a great gift. On the flip side, it can be incredible empowering and uplifting to learn to mentor others. Mentoring others is a competency of emotional intelligence, and one worth developing! Becoming a mentor can intimidate even the b ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent "The differences that separate human beings are nothing compared to the similarities that bond us together."  -- Sophie Gregoire Trudeau In a society where our differences seem to shout loudly and our similarities are hushed to a whisper, the skill set of building bonds with others, especially with those who think and act differently than us, is a lost art. Sure, it's easy to connect with those we share beliefs and values, but what about those "other" people? Out of convenience -- and comfort -- many choose to skip the building bonds part and ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent  “A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” ― Jackie Robinson Everyone has the ability to influence others, and actions -- words and behaviors -- serve as a guide to those who are watching. Dr. Tim Elmore, founder and CEO of Growing Leaders, says from his research that even the most introverted person will influence at least 10,000 people in their lifetime. Other data shows that those lean toward extroversion may impact upwards to 80,000 individuals!   If this is the case, wouldn't it be an excellent g ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent "Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of creative alternatives for responding to conflict." — Dorothy Thompson, American journalist The Stress and Strain of Conflict There's not much worse than being in conflict with someone you care about. Whether it's at work, or at home, being at odds with someone can cause elevated levels of stress, to say the least. Heated emotions run rampant, and physical symptoms such as sickness in your stomach, headache, and back ache, to name a few, can leave you exhausted. And the mental and emotional strain! Thi ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent "Make it so." Fans of the Star Trek tv series, The Next Generation, which aired on television from 1987 - 1994, may recognize this phrase. Jean-Luc Picard, the fictional captain of the Federation starship USS Enterprise, commonly gave this command to his loyal crew members indicating it was time to take action and make a change. And action they took! From propelling the ship forward in warp speed, to dodging collisions through asteroid fields, to negotiating conversations with the enemy, the crew "made it so", navigating life's twists and ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent "Words are singularly the most powerful force available to humanity. We can choose to use this force constructively with words of encouragement, or destructively using words of despair. Words have energy and power with the ability to help, to heal, to hinder, to hurt, to harm, to humiliate and to humble." -- Yehuda Berg, American writer What is Effective Communication? Have you ever been in a conversation that didn't turn out the way you hoped? Me either. I'm kidding--of course, we all have. Communication is the ability to listen deeply and openly, and ..read more

"For good ideas and true innovation, you need human interaction, conflict, argument, debate." -- Margaret Heffernan What is Innovation? Innovation is a competency of emotional intelligence, that ability to be aware of our own emotions and those of others -- and make good choices as to our next steps. By definition in the Social and Emotional Intelligence Coaching Toolkit, innovation means to seek out new, more efficient ways to tackle projects, leaning into creativity and looking for fresh ideas and ways of doing things. And according to NI Business Info, innovation is a&nb ..read more

"Trust is the glue of life. It's the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It's the foundational principle that holds all relationships." -- Stephen Covey The Emotional Intelligence Competency of Trust What is trust? Trust the ability to be ethical with others, establishing bonds of safety and consistency. It is the "firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something." Building trust is a competency of emotional intelligence (having an awareness of your own emotions, and an awareness of emotions of others, and managing y ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent-Kossoff "Be as you wish to seem."  -- Socrates We in the U.S. are about to celebrate the 4th of July, remembering when our country came into its own, gathering together for parades, bar-b-ques, and fireworks as one nation, as best as we can. One, as outlined in our Pledge of Allegiance. Many can still recite it by heart (who remembers saying it at the start of school day?). "I pledge allegiance, to the flag, of the United States of America, and to the Republic, for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty, and justice, for ..read more

Article written by Amy Sargent-Kossoff “When I discover who I am, I’ll be free.” ― Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man What is Accurate Self-Awareness? Tasha Eurich,organizational psychologist and researcher, defines accurate self-awareness as the ability to see ourselves clearly; to uderstand who we are, how others see us, and how we fit into the world. (https://www.ted.com/talks/tasha_eurich_increase_your_self_awareness_with_one_simple_fix) The Cambridge Dictionary defines it as having "good knowledge and judgment about yourself." (https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/self-aw ..read more