Happy 2013! All of us at Coaching For Results Global wish you a very Happy New Year and thank you for your business and your continuous commitment to being a highly competent, confident and courageous leader! We’re proud to be your partner and we look forward to more great times together in the New Year.

Since we’re at the beginning of the New Year, what a perfect time to consider your most valuable asset as a school leader. What would you say it would be?

Susan Scott (Fierce Leadership, 2009) says that your most valuable asset as a leader in the 21st Century is not the number of degrees you hold, nor the level of your intelligence, your salary, good looks, or a number of other assets. She says, and we agree, “Your most valued currency is relationship, emotional capital, the ability to connect with others.” She reminds us that Daniel Goleman suggests that as leaders move up in organizations, 90 percent of their success lies in emotional intelligence. Wow! 90 percent! That’s worth our attention.

This must be one reason that so many people say that they are forever changed after completing one of our coaching seminars. They understand from a totally different perspective what it feels like to be listened to and valued as a thinker. They appreciate developing specific skills to take back to their work and lives that support them in being more committed listeners and speakers.

So, what do you think? How important is it to you that you develop strong relationships with others and place a priority on how your emotional intelligence is showing up on a daily basis?

Consider the two statements below and rate yourself from high to low on each of these statements. What specifically supports your rating and what impact is your behavior having on your performance at work and in your personal life?

1. When I’m in a conversation with another person or persons, I am intentional about listening to what others have to say before I share my own thoughts. I am purposeful about the amount of airspace I use in a conversation and set aside distracters to be fully present.
2. I am intentional about my choice of words because I know that words inspire, deflate, encourage involvement or cause retreat, invite action or inaction, lead to solutions or failures and offer hope or despair.

Being a strong leader in 2013 calls for a high EQ level. It’s one of your most important assets. This is why coaching is such a valued skill. It’s an EQ Builder!

Vicky Dearing is a Professional Certified Coach (PCC), certified through the International Coach Federation and has over 30 years of experience working in public education. She is a former teacher, central office administrator and principal of two Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence. She brings a corporate perspective to her coaching, having served as a Senior Vice President of Training and Implementation for a national education company. Vicky serves on the Executive Leadership Team of Coaching For Results Global, is a co- author of Results Coaching, The New Essential for School Leaders and a faculty instructor for CFR Global’s Accredited Coach Training Program. To find out more about Vicky and all of our coaches, go to www.coachingforresultsglobal.com and click on “coaches.”