Preston Ni’s Soft Power Series – Seven Ways to Say “No” and Keep Good Relations (Set Your Boundary Without Feeling Guilty)

Do you have trouble saying “no”? Many women and men are traditionally taught to avoid saying “no”, especially when facing authority figures. Some of us are told from a young age that we’re not supposed to say “no” to our parents, relatives, teachers, bosses, and others. There may be cultural, gender, social, religious, or institutional pressure to conform and please. Often there’s a fear of rejection, a desire to avoid confrontation, or guilt over hurting others’ feelings. (more…)

Five Keys to Enhancing Your Emotional Intelligence – Ninety Percent of High Performers Possess High EQ

Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI) can be defined as the ability to understand, manage, and effectively express one’s own feelings, as well as engage and navigate successfully with those of others. According to Talent Smart, 90% of high performers at the work place possess high EQ, while 80% of low performers have low EQ. Emotional Intelligence is absolutely essential in the formation, development, maintenance, and enhancement of close personal relationships. Unlike IQ, which does not change significantly over a lifetime, our EQ can evolve and increase with our desire to learn and grow.

Below are five keys that can enhance one’s emotional intelligence: (more…)

Successful e-Mail Management @ Work – Seven Tips to Save Time, Raise Productivity, and Enhance Your Brand

Do you receive dozens to hundreds of work related e-mails each day? Does it seem that a disproportionate amount of your professional time is spent reading and replying to messages? Ever sent a heated or sloppy e-mail you later wish you could take back? The following are seven e-mail management tips that can help you save time, raise productivity, and enhance your brand. Not all of these suggestions may apply to your particular work situation. Simply take what ideas you can use and leave the rest.

1. Establish a regular block of time each day to answer e-mails.

One of the most time consuming and productivity draining tasks at work is answering individual e-mails as they come in throughout the (more…)

Asian Americans and Emotional Intelligence – Five Keys to Enhancing EQ

Preston’s note: This article is based on my Leadership Success Series piece “Five Keys to Enhancing Your Emotional Intelligence,” with additional content inserted throughout that are cultural specific for Asians and Asian Americans. A list of recommended readings appears following the article for further inquiry.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ or EI) can be defined as the ability to understand, manage, and effectively express one’s own feelings, as well as engage and navigate successfully with those of others. According to Talent Smart, 90% of high performers at the work place possess high EQ, while 80% of low performers have low EQ. Emotional Intelligence is absolutely essential in the formation, development, maintenance, and enhancement of close personal relationships. Unlike IQ, which does not change significantly over a lifetime, our EQ can evolve and increase with our desire to learn and grow.

Asians and Asian Americans often (more…)

Reduce Public Speaking Nervousness – Overcome the #1 Fear in America

“There are two types of speakers. Those who get nervous and those who are liars.” – Mark Twain

Did you know that according to the Wall Street Journal, public speaking is the number one fear in America? The fear of death is ranked number two! That’s right – we seem more afraid of public speaking than we are of physical demise, heights, jumping out of a plane, or dreaded in-laws. (more…)

Resource Guide Helps Understanding of Self and Others

“Know yourself, know others;
one hundred battles, one hundred victories.”

- Ancient Chinese saying

What is human behavior? In what ways are we similar and different? How can we successfully communicate with one-another?

My recently written reference guide “Communication Success with Four Personality Types” is an interpretation of some of the most popular personality tests used by many organizations in hiring, professional development, and performance evaluation. The purpose of the reference guide is to present an overview of four major personality types, identify their strengths and weaknesses, and provide information on how to communicate more effectively with each trait. (more…)