EQ Blog Category: Travel

2010 06/24

Ah, Africa!

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I’ve heard it said that you cannot visit Africa and not be affected and I knew it was true on my first visit 2 years ago, but now coming back to Lagos, Nigeria, I know it once again. I’ve spent the week working with warm, wonderful, ‘passionate’ Nigerian leaders who have such a sincere desire for change that it inspires me. I get excited thinking about the changes they will make and honoured to be part of it. I sometimes have to pinch myself. I have the honour of spending the week with these incredibly bright, insightful, dedicated people living my passion for facilitating learning in an absolutely fascinating world of wonder – and I’m almost embarrassed to say I get paid for it ;-) It never ceases to amaze me how “Leading with Emotional Intelligence” resonates as the solution to organizational effectiveness in organizations everywhere in the world that I’ve been so far. Sometimes the discussions here in Nigeria get so fired up with passionate viewpoints flying around the room that I get a little worried. (Actually, I don’t really get that worried. I’m just prone to hyperbole – I exaggerate – a lot, practically all the time ;-) Suffice it to say I never see that kind of passion in the training room in North America – or anywhere else in the world for that matter. It’s very refreshing. Stay tuned for photos I plan to post on my EITC Facebook page – or maybe somewhere else. I haven’t really decided yet.

My hosts and partners at STI Consulting, Abiodun, Keji, Olabisi, N’kechi, and Nicholas were awesome hosts – I thank you for all your warm hospitality and royal treatment. I look forward to our next opportunity to work together and courses we will offer together in Toronto, Accra, Dubai, and Johannesburg.

Now back to ‘head office’ to get ready for the next course, the Toronto EQ-i Certification Course July 14-16, immediately followed by “The Advanced Leadership Development Course” – a high level 4 day leadership course for senior executives based on the concepts of emotional intelligence in Toronto July 19-22.

2010 05/28

Ottawa EQ-i Certification Course, May 26-28, 2010

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We just wrapped the Ottawa EQ-i Certification Course and I’m sitting at the airport waiting to board my plane for the west. What wonderful people I have the privilege to work with! I continue to marvel at the talented, experienced, knowledgeable people who sign up for the EQ-i Certification Course. These participants are seasoned managers and leaders involved in leadership course design/delivery, program management, and leadership coaching all with the goal of assisting the most senior government employees in Canada to be better leaders. Most participants work for our very own Canada School of Public Service and, from what I can see, they do an incredible job of ensuring that our senior bureaucrats have the tools and resources available to be the best leaders they can be. They work with leaders all over Canada and the rest of the world in Canadian embassies and foreign offices and are equally comfortable training and coaching in either of our official languages. They work with all branches of the military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, and all government divisions and departments at many levels. In my mind they are quite amazing people and a pleasure to work with.

Despite the mind-boggling 34 degree heat (Wednesday – it cooled off slightly past two days), Ottawa was absolutely lovely – what a beautiful city! I look forward to my return.

2010 03/02

EITC Update

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Wow, a lot has happened since my last blog post! New website, new year, new ideas, new projects, and a new life in Calgary, Alberta. Wait, what? Why would someone move from Vancouver to Calgary? It’s not that Calgary is not a great city. It is a great city in its own right, but compared to Vancouver? As it turned out, the reason for the move to Calgary is that there was a necessary medical service required by our son here in Calgary that is not available in Vancouver. We made the move in December of last year and our son is doing well. We kept our house in Vancouver and my wife has gone back and forth between the two cities this whole time. I’m pretty much based in Calgary, for the present, with our son and we’ll see how the future unfolds. That’s the personal update.

As for the professional update, we (Klaudia, Kim, Becky, Sherwin, Ben, and me) have lots of great plans. We continue to offer the EQ-i Certification Course in many great cities and the EQ-360 Certification Course via teleclass. We are offering EQ coaching through Klaudia and Kim to our wonderful course participants in various parts of the world. Becky and Sherwin continue to offer all manner of design, communications, web, and marketing support. I like to refer to what they do as “emotionally intelligent design.” (see their website www.pinksheepmedia.com) And now Ben, the youngest Cory, has joined the team as all around administrative support. I’m still trying to convince my wife, Jill, to join the team, but she stubbornly (or is it ‘wisely’) refuses to do so. ;-)

So far, 2010 is shaping up wonderfully well with many partnerships and great clients in many parts of the world. This year work will take me to Madrid, Seattle, San Francisco, Lagos, Ottawa, Calgary, Toronto, Ghana, Johannesburg, and hopefully back to Trinidad and Beijing. More people than ever are getting their certification to use the EQ-i in advance of the release of the EQ-i 2.0, which is a very exciting new product from MHS. More on that as it becomes available.

I continue to wonder how I can better serve my clients. What types of products and services do my clients need? I’ve learned that they need products and services which can help them to make personal changes easier, better, faster, cheaper. I’ve learned that they are looking to understand the connection between EI/EQ and the bottom line better. And I’ve certainly learned that in a technical environment like the gas and oil industry in Calgary, that it’s harder to see the connection between EI/EQ and improved organizational performance – “it’s really just about the technology – isn’t it?”

I will continue to learn and I’ll continue to try to turn that learning around and pass it on to my clients. It is what gives me energy and it is my passion. Thanks for tuning in. This time, I’m going to do everything in my power to keep writing.

Cheers,

David

2009 03/10

China, March 10, 2009

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I’m currently in Beijing, China working with “EI China” on some exciting marketing and business development events. I love working with the people here, the food is fantastic, I’m learning a bit of the language, and I’m having a pretty good time, but “home is where the heart is.” I really miss my family! :-( I guess you know either that you’ve been traveling too much or that, due to certain circumstances, you should be closer to home and now is one of those times. Probably the reason is that I’m away for 2 weeks – that’s a lot longer than my usual 3 day trips. I’m a great traveler and it’s one of the things I love about my work – that it takes me to fabulous places to work with amazing individuals and companies (the fact is that most companies that are interested in emotional intelligence are wonderful companies already ;-) Am I doing what I love? Absolutely. Am I loving my current schedule? Well, not exactly and it’s nothing to do with the country or the company I’m keeping, which is wonderful by the way ;-) It’s that I need to be with my family.

Where do you need to be? Right where you are or somewhere else?

Let me know. Write me at david@eitrainingcompany.com

2008 08/10

Toronto August 2008

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Wow, I had no idea how hard it is to keep a blog going! It’s like it just isn’t on my radar screen. And, I think, does anyone read this? Yes, in fact, I get comments from people all the time – “when are you going to write something?” “You haven’t written anything for awhile.” Who knew? I’ll keep trying to keep writing – how’s that?

Just returned from Toronto last night where I had a wonderful group of women (yes, many of my workshops are all women…mmmm?) We had a great time and I was also able to see friends and family and experience my first Passover Seder. I really enjoyed it. We don’t have enough rituals in life. What is the importance of rituals? I think they remind us of the importance of certain events, like how Passover reminds us to think about the experience of the Jews and their emancipation from Egypt. But it’s much more than that as well. It’s about family, friends, relationships, spending time together, eating together, and, at our end of the table – card tricks! ;-) I sat at the end of the table with the teenage boys of our good friends and, during the breaks in the Seder, we traded card tricks and had many laughs. We need more rituals! Or maybe we just need to make more of the ones we have?

2008 06/05

Singapore June 2008

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Just back from speaking at the Key Media HR Summit 2008 in Singapore. I was struck by the near universal move, in business!, toward embracing more of what makes us human. Speaker after speaker spoke about how the emotional impact of good leaders and equitable workplace practices results in increased organizational effectiveness for businesses and organizations all over the world. It seems we are evolving – even if it is painfully slow! And I was also encouraged by how many speakers used the term “emotional intelligence!” It is so great that it is becoming increasingly popular to talk about our capacity to use our own emotions and those of others for greater effectiveness in work and in life!

Here are some of the projects I’m currently involved in that I’m excited about:

Improving organizational effectiveness in two First Nations’ (Native or Aboriginal Canadian) organizations
Key Note speaker at the Northern Interior Health conference in Prince George – huge interest in healthcare – very encouraging! I may have mentioned the interest from Vancouver Island Health Authority and now Vancouver Coastal Health Authority (just certified two senior people responsible for leadership and organzational development – the rest of the team is being certified in August).
Just did two one day workshops at HealthCare Benefit Trust
More work with the federal government on their leadership program for senior leaders in Vancouver and I continue to have more people with the federal government attend the certification program from several different areas within government.
Work coming up this Summer: BC CGA Association, Comcast University in Phillidelphia, a leadership course in Dubai, another certification course in Nigeria
This Fall: Petroleum company in Calgary, more work with the City of Richmond, Okanagan College in Kelowna
Our Emotional Intelligence for Police Leadership course was a huge success! Participants have said that when we offer it again this Fall they have several colleagues who want to attend. I believe this to be the future of policing.
Jim Kirkpatrick and I will be offering our two day intensive course “Emotional Intelligence and the Levels of Evaluation” this Fall – dates to be announced. This will be a lot of fun!

This may seem like an extreme statement, but I take this increasing interest in emotional intelligence to be evidence that we are moving in a positive direction in our evolution as a species.

What do you think? Email me to david@eitrainingcompany.com