EI’s Tools for Business Entrepreneur During COVID19

Written by Virginie Bodescot, Eva Marugan, and Lyne Desormeaux.

What happens when three professionals sign up for Emotional Intelligence (EI) certification training? Our EI certification training in 2019 and 2020 prepared us for changing times in ways we could not have imagined when we first started. Here we share with you our experiential learning and how we leveraged EI tools, skills, and competencies to build a new business, reinvent oneself, and adapt a business.

Virginie Bodescot – New entrepreneur Certified Goleman EI Coach

Just like me, many young entrepreneurs have suffered during the worldwide Covid-19 pandemic and continue to endure a deteriorated economic climate. EI does not have the power to change our environment, but it offers many tools to reassess what we see. And these tools can help us seek opportunities leveraging our creativity and revealing our boldness.

Here is how my training in Emotional Intelligence came in very handy.

EI guided me to acknowledge my feelings – mindfulness sessions with my app and journaling led me to accept my reactions and move on.

EI was my tool to combat self-doubt – writing about my past successes, listing my personal and professional qualities, helping a friend through a coaching conversation. All these small actions made me feel stronger and up to the challenge.

EI helped me deal with the unknown – looking at the opportunities rather than the losses, I decided that individual clients, who had never been my focus, offered me a chance to practice my coaching and expand my expertise into a new client base. In the end, these individual clients introduced me to new corporate business prospects.

EI pushed me to fight loneliness – I deliberately started to work online every week with a group of fellow coaches who also were starting their own business. We would share ideas, coach each other, and support one another in preparing for our International Coaching Federation (ICF) credential, something positive to look forward to.

Eva Marugan– Finding a new identity Certified EI Goleman Coach

Inspired by “Ithaka,” one my one of favorite poems by Greek poet Constantine Cavafy, two years ago I decided to change direction. I quit 20 years of corporate work and embraced a new project, one more aligned with my values. This enormous challenge that I chose voluntarily is similar to the challenge that many people are forced to live today due to current economic circumstances. It is about finding a new identity and not knowing what the outcome will be. Developing my emotional intelligence has been an essential step toward succeeding in this transition.

EI has revealed unexpected feelings to me, such as vulnerability, loneliness, anxiety about being unprepared for next steps, and fear of the unknown. I had no choice but to learn to accept and live with them.

EI has supported me in developing self-compassion through a non-judgmental inner dialogue and calm observation of my habits and thoughts.

EI has guided me to unleash my capacity to choose, to feel free–by listening to my intuition, my body clues, trusting my internal resources, and strengthening my capacity to be focused.

EI has contributed to my process of unlearning, of being humble enough to accept and release what no longer served me from my past and to recognize obstacles as unique learning opportunities. Step by step.

Lyne Desormeaux – Adapting your business for the future Certfied Goleman EI Meta-Coach

Many business entrepreneurs have been challenged to adapt during 2020 . . . and must continue to adapt. EI has been an amazing tool in managing the ongoing challenges and in finding “islands of sanities,” as leadership consultant Meg Wheatley termed it.

Here is how my training in Emotional Intelligence helped in 2020.

EI was instrumental in staying grounded – every morning a 20-minute meditation with the Headspace app helped me slow down my thinking and stay open to creativity. Meditation and personal sports training both have been instrumental in cultivating my mental as well as physical health.

EI was my tool to be creative – EI has many tools to frame, reframe, and explore possibilities. When many of my in-person trainings were pushed to 2021, I had to start thinking of how to transform my leadership retreat in a virtual offering as well as create new offerings.

EI helped me challenge myself – EI can help business entrepreneurs to think differently and take risks, try something new. With more time, I finally decided to take two courses in writing as well as write a paper for publication. I am still working on these goals, and EI tools will support me in succeeding.

EI pushed me to stay connected – EI is so much about relationships and community. I choose to stay connected with some clients and colleagues as well as explore diverse new communities to exchange ideas, ways to support each other, and ways to create new products. A few colleagues became accountability buddies to keep momentum going.

EI skills, tools, and competencies will continue to be important for the three of us and hopefully can help you going forward if you are starting a new business, changing career, or need to adapt your business for the current times.