Today I want to share a situation I experienced at the airport. After a lovely holiday by the sea, I found myself at the airport in Paris with a few hours to spare before my flight. I had three books with me, and one of them was a book called Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence. This book particularly interested me because of how it discusses in detail the importance of emotional intelligence in leadership.
The author also talks about how a good leader is able to read the patterns through which other people view the world. This idea appealed to me because I truly believe that understanding the way others perceive reality is a key part of social intelligence. Each of us is different, each of us looks at the world from a different perspective. Our views are shaped by our experiences, culture, religion or goals. And it is being aware of these differences that allows us to better understand others and not be unnecessarily limited by our own worldview.
I experienced an interesting situation after reading this book. I was sitting in a Sheraton hotel restaurant in the airport in Paris. I had a few hours to kill, so I had a leisurely breakfast, a coffee, then another coffee. In the meantime, I opened my laptop, answered emails and finished my work duties. Later, I ordered an orange juice and opened the last book I hadn’t had time to finish on vacation.
All this quiet morning I had been noticing the gentleman at the entrance to the patio where I was sitting. He was a security worker who had been standing there for hours. While customers came and went, he still stood calmly watching everything around him. I realized how much I admired his ability to engage in one monotonous activity for hours – standing and watching. I know it’s not fair to compare, because we each come from different backgrounds and have been influenced by different circumstances, but I couldn’t help but imagine myself in his shoes.
This experience reminded me of insights from the book Primal Leadership. I realized again how important it is to understand that each of us is different. Some are more different from us, others less so, but thinking that we are always right or insisting on our opinion without considering the perspective of others is a sign of limitation.
Being a professional companion has forced me to constantly educate myself and get to know different people from different parts of the world. These experiences have helped me to step out of my own bubble and realize that having an open mind is essential for success not only in work but also in my personal life.
Meeting diverse people teaches me something new every day and I believe that this is what makes me stronger, wiser and better able to handle my work. If you would like to learn more about me or book an appointment, please visit my website ninadelvey.com.