Why Emotional Intelligence? Parks has been teaching about the importance of empathy, self-awareness, self-management, and relationship management in the workplace—key elements in emotional intelligence—at Central since 2019. He previously had a successful career in global management with The Coca- Cola Company. He first became aware of emotional intelligence, also known as emotional quotient or EQ, several years ago after he experienced a life-altering health scare. “At that point in my life I was operating like a ‘bull-in- a-china-shop’ mentality,” Parks explained. “I was very aggressive, ego-driven, focused on titles, material possessions, all of those things that you associate with a person who has a Type-A personality. “I was diagnosed with early stages of prostate cancer. I was successfully treated, so no problems there, but the physician who was treating me said I was really
young to be diagnosed with prostate cancer,” he continued. “He said something in my lifestyle probably triggered that genetic switch. His recommendation to me was that I learn how to decrease the stress in my life and he encouraged me to learn to live from a place of integrity.” Parks said he soon began working with a life coach, who had him focus on determining his core values. He said that process led to his exploring emotional intelligence and becoming more self-aware of how he related to others and went about doing his job. He also began to practice mindfulness meditation, which is becoming aware of things that trigger an emotional reaction in a particular moment, and then, without interpreting or judging, learning how to relax his body and mind, which helps to reduce stress. “It completely changed my career trajectory,” he said. “I found I was more impactful in terms of my results. I was calmer in terms of the way I approached people. I was a lot more empathetic and the biggest benefit was that I was also more at peace with myself.”
REESE SIGMAN, MUSICAL THEATRE PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID DICK
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