How to Develop Social Intelligence

—

When building a profitable practice, you have to deploy all the tools in your tool shed. And one of them is social intelligence. What is social intelligence and how do you develop it? One aspect of achieving success in your life that many people never think about or discuss is the idea of social intelligence. In his book, “Mastery”, Robert Greene defined social intelligence as, “The ability to see people in the most realistic light possible.”

In other words, social intelligence is all about reading other people and figuring out the reasons why they behave the way they do. Think of it as your ability to think from another person’s perspective. When you have a run-in with someone, whether it is a heated argument or just subtle confrontation, do you find yourself getting wrapped up in your own emotions and assuming a position or defensiveness? Or do you separate yourself from the emotion of the situation and put yourself in the other person’s shoes, trying to see the world as they see it? Most people opt for number one. Not because they want to, but because they are unaware that there is better, more rewarding option.

Developing Your Social Intelligence

As you develop your social intelligence, you will find that you naturally become more persuasive and appealing to people of all kinds of personality types. Instead of trying to force your ideas and opinions on someone whose view of the world doesn’t match yours, you alter your approach to appeal to their nature. It doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your own beliefs and adopts there’s. It just means that you choose to suppress your opinion because you know it is a useless battle to enter. For example, if someone is ranting and raving about a political or cultural issue and you don’t agree at all, you let them sound off and hold your opinion to yourself. You can let them blow off some steam and just reply with something like, “I can see why that would be frustrating.”

Again, you don’t have to agree with them or compromise your own beliefs, but you also are not required to share your opinion. Something very powerful happens when you choose this approach. You get to study and examine how this person thinks, what makes them tick, and what makes them get emotional. You can use all of these triggers as ammo when you’re dealing with them in the future. Knowing this information, you can customize your approach when dealing with them in the future. If you need a favor or if you have to do a project with this person, you will be in a much stronger position to persuade them. You will also be able to speak and behave in ways that will win them over.

So, the next time you come across someone who rubs you the wrong way, or has a difficult personality, use it as an opportunity to enhance your social intelligence and you will gain more personal power than you have before. This power will only continue to grow the more you use it.

I’m Dr. Hassan, a Board-Certified Physiatrist and Independent Practice Owner. I help physiatrists start and grow their own profitable practices so they can achieve financial independence and live without limits. Please go to businessofrehab.com/guide to pick up the free guide to help you determine the best business entity for your new practice.

Social intelligence is one of the many skills needed to be successful in building your profitable practice, but it’s also important to develop your soft skills as well. Check out our blog here for some career tips on developing soft skills.

Attention, Physiatrists! Stop leaving money on the table. Sign up for the free video series: How To Build A Profitable Practice in 90 Days or Less: http://www.sixtytosuccess.com