People Matters Book Review: Human Drama Inc. by Neeta Mohla
Human Drama Inc. is structured around the building blocks of Emotional Intelligence and what one should do to build on each of them. For every step the author enumerates in this process, she mentions numerous stories, reflections and toolkits to help the reader grasp the concepts and also apply them in their own journey.
The first step to building EQ is the ability to know oneself. How? By appraising oneself, being objective and being able to express oneself constructively. The first chapter of the book focuses on how to be aware and develop these critical areas of your EQ as a starting point to create and navigate the life you want.
The second step is to manage oneself. Being your own “emotional remote control” as the author puts it. This can be done by managing stress and impulses, thinking independently, adapting to change and solving problems. Mastering these will provide the platform to manage oneself as an individual, both in personal and professional contexts.
The third step is to keep oneself motivated by bringing in optimism, finding the drive to achieve one’s potential and having a positive outlook to life.
The next step, writes Mohla, is working with your group, your team. Are you able to manage those human dramas around you and cultivate strong relationships? Having empathy for others’ feelings and building trust with the team is the way to do it, she says.
Finally, one must evaluate social skills. Do you get along with others? The best way to do so is by building interpersonal relationships and investing in group orientation.
The reader will also find a final chapter to reflect on the correlation between high emotional intelligence and high performance, productivity, engagement, ability to manage change and other indicators. Overall, the treatment of the subject makes it a journey of discovery for the reader.