August is the month of Independence in The Federated Sates of Malaya, Singapore and Indonesia. In Malaysia that being August 31. This year marks Malaysia’s 63 years of freedom and independence from the British administration.
The early leaders in our countries came from a well-established government with years of experiences and challenges. Their education and prominence provided the knowledge when they were setting up the constitutions that are still to this day the basis of democracies. Their greatest advantage was their ability to empathize, feel self-confident, spend endless hours being of service and having to manage their emotions. As humans, they probably had moments of doubt, but they overcame that. They felt accountable to their peers and sustained hope even when their challenges seemed insurmountable, dreams that seemed unreasonable and unreachable. Faith and hope kept them going. Their gratefulness for the opportunity to provide this unique form of government helped them to overcome frustrations and disappointments. Emotional intelligence has enabled them to form all of our democracy,
When Independence is operating well:
- Leaders are comfortable to delegate responsibility as others accept the challenge
- It contributes to work culture, problem solving, motivation and trust
- Problems are solved and action taken
- Self motivation and motivating others are second nature
- Leaders accepts responsibility for decisions acknowledging that at times people may disagree with their decisions
- Individuals are able to think and work on own without being penalized
When Independence is low:
- There is over reliance on the team and people around them
- Low initiative and sense of accountability exist
- There is constant consulting others for advice before making any decisions
- There are struggles to express thoughts and feelings clearly, effectively more importantly, respectfully
- Higher herd mentality exists. Preferences to follow others course of action.
These are all important tenants or components of emotional intelligence. That is why it is important to build a solid foundation for emotional intelligence to ensure personal success and the success of a democratic nation and her people. Freedom and independence does not only mean just in the physical and political sense, it is also from the internal, mindset view point which is equally if not more important.
Malaysia as a nation is comparatively young and has quite a long way to go in her nation building history. She’ll get there however, somehow with love, intelligence...yes of the emotional kind too. Happy Independence Day Malaya. Merdeka! Merdeka! Merdeka! Let freedom reign!