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

I’ve really been enjoying our EQ Networking Meetings. Please come to the next one in your city. Remember, we try to have them at 5:00 pm on the second day of each certification course in all the cities where we host courses and all who are interested are invited. I’m really looking forward to the Toronto EQ Networking meeting May 26th.

Are you using social media? I’m signed up with LinkedIn, Plaxo, Twitter, and Facebook, but I’m sure I’m not yet using them effectively or efficiently. I’m also not totally convinced or committed yet. Perhaps that will come. Please write me and let me know your experience.

A reminder that Lily Zeng and I had our joint speakers’ proposal accepted at the International Conference on Emotional Intelligence this June 29-30 and if you are going to be in attendance, we will see you there! Register now at www.mhs.com/icei/

EQ-360 Certification Course Teleclass July 31, 2009* 9-noon PST Must have EQ-i Certification as the pre-requisite. For $650CAD you get an EQ-360 on yourself, an EQ-360 on a person of your choosing, and then 2 complimentary EQ-360 uses (at $200/ea that’s a value of $800!) Simply register at www.eitrainingcompany.com

EQ-i Certification Course information: Download the new 2009 Brochure Here the brochure was done by www.pinksheepmedia.com and if you need some brand development or a website design, please contact them. Check out their unique website.

Upcoming Certification Course dates: July 6, 7, 8 Vancouver, July 20, 21, 22 Ottawa, Sept 7, 8, 9 San Francisco, Sept 21, 22, 23 Calgary, Oct 19, 20, 21 Toronto, Nov 2, 3, 4 Vancouver, Nov 18, 19, 20 San Fran, Dec 14, 15, 16, Ottawa

Please see website for details and registration. www.eitrainingcompany.com

This book comes to me by way of exploring other models of understanding human behaviour. One that I’m currently exploring is the 12 Step Model of Alcoholics Anonymous and Melody Beattie is one writer that has a connection to the concepts related to the 12 Steps. I’m fascinated that this model created in 1939 by two guys is so powerful; has helped so many people world wide and is still in use today pretty much in its original form. And that it is all about emotion! Wow, I may really be on to something ;-)

If any of you have knowledge or experience with the 12 Steps, please write me, I’m fascinated to learn more.

Let me know what you’re reading and if you’d like to send me a ‘brief’ book report and it’s related to EI/EQ, I’ll post in in the April EQ Update. Send it to david@eitrainingcompany.com

Take care, my friends, until next time!

Let me know what you think about the EQ Update. Email me at david@eitrainingcompany.com

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 travelling 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 traveller 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?

Are you twittering? Sign up at www.twitter.com and ‘follow me’ – I’ll ‘follow you’ right back. So far, it’s more fun than FaceBook, just because it’s much quicker and easier. Try it.

Lily Zeng and I just had our joint speakers’ proposal accepted at the International Conference on Emotional Intelligence this June 29-30 and if you are going to be in attendance, we will see you there! Register now at www.mhs.com/icei/

EQ-360 Certification Course Teleclass April 17th, 2009* 9-noon PST Must have EQ-i Certification as the pre-requisite. For $650CAD you get an EQ-360 on yourself, an EQ-360 on a person of your choosing, and then 2 complimentary EQ-360 uses (at $200/ea that’s a value of $800!) Simply register at www.eitrainingcompany.com

EQ-i Certification Course information: Download the new 2009 Brochure Here – I continue to brag about Pinksheepmedia.com and you might think my perspective biased because Becky is my daughter, but I keep hearing from everyone who works with Becky and Sherwin what a pleasure it is and how brilliant they are, so it’s not just me! Speaking of Becky, she took a conference Key Note presentation on Emotional Intelligence for me in Victoria and the feedback was extremely positive. Of course! I wouldn’t have refered her if I had any doubt. ;-)

Upcoming Certification Course dates: Mar 23, 24, 25, Ottawa, April 22, 23, 24 Calgary, May 25, 26, 27 Toronto, June 22, 23, 24 San Fran, July 6, 7, 8 Vancouver, July 20, 21, 22 Ottawa, Sept 21, 22, 23 Calgary, Oct 19, 20, 21 Toronto, Nov 2, 3, 4 Vancouver, Nov 18, 19, 20 San Fran, Dec 14, 15, 16, Ottawa

Notice I cancelled Halifax. :-( Not that I don’t love Halifax – quite the opposite. I just need to be close to home in April – I’m following my heart’s advice. We’ll try Halifax again at a later date.

Please see website for details and registration. www.eitrainingcompany.com

by Rick Foster and Greg Hicks I love this book! I know, you’ve heard that before, but this book, a gift from a wonderful Bay Area coach, Anke Thiele, is unique in that the authors travelled around looking for the happiest people they could find and telling their stories. In the process of their research and from analyzing the data they created a model, “The 9 Choices of Extremely Happy People” which, if you are in the people development business are absolutely essential questions for your clients. I don’t have time to tell you all the 9 questions, so you’ll just have to get the book!

Let me know what you’re reading and if you’d like to send me a ‘brief’ book report and it’s related to EI/EQ, I’ll post in in the April EQ Update. Send it to david@eitrainingcompany.com

Take care, my friends, until next time!

Let me know what you think about the EQ Update. Email me at david@eitrainingcompany.com

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

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

Do you feel cared for by me? I know, it’s a strange question, but one I often ask myself when I get an e-newsletter, “does this person care about me or do they just want my money?” Obviously, you wanted something from me when you subscribed to my newsletter and obviously, I wanted you to subscribe to my newsletter. I wanted a relationship with you and you wanted information that you would find useful/helpful/’of value’ from me. It’s a difficult balance, this ‘giving you what you want and me getting what I want’ out of this newsletter business! Would I like you to come to one of my courses or hire me to do some training in your organization, thereby adding to my bank account? Honestly, yes, but I also believe that we can both benefit from a mutual relationship whether there is a financial transaction between us – or not. Am I doing my part to provide you with value? I think I’m doing a bad job, actually, as I write so infrequently and sporadically. Then I beg your forgiveness and promise to try to be more consistent. Kind of pathetic, if you ask me. I think you should feel ‘cared for’ in this relationship and I think for you to feel cared for I would provide you with timely, valuable information that you can use (for me to know more about this, I would like to hear more from you) on a more consistent basis.

So, in the spirit of the wise old Yoda, “do or do not do, there is no try” - I’ve done something about this situation. Some excellent colleagues of mine, namely, Klaudia Williams, Miriam Miller, Becky Cory, and Sherwin Arnott (www.pinksheepmedia.com) have agreed to assist me with getting this newsletter out on a more consistent basis and working on my blog as well. They have also agreed to contribute to the EQ Update to make it even more valuable.

If you put out a newsletter, think about the extent to which your subscribers feel cared for – it’s the emotionally intelligent thing to do! ;-)

What do you think? How do you feel? Write me at david@eitrainingcompany.com

It was a fabulous conference! I loved seeing old friends, okay, so not necessarily so old, but the real pioneers of EI/EQ development, many of whom I met at the first international conference on emotional intelligence, coincidently in Chicago, in 1999. The Key Note speakers were awesome; Jim Kouzes (of the Leadership Challenge and many other leadership books and programs, who married a former certification course participant of mine, who is now Tae Kouzes, a talented and brilliant OD consultant in her own right), Peter Salovey (co-coiner of the term “emotional intelligence”) and David Caruso (co-author of the MSCEIT) and many wonderful breakout session speakers – unfortunately I couldn’t hear all of them!

As for me, I presented on Cultural Infuences on EQ and used the Hofstede Cultural Dimensions and my own experience to highlight some considerations when using the concept of EI/EQ in other cultures. I asked people to exchange business cards with people they had not yet met. I then explained how cards are exchanged in Asia – a continent we sometimes view as lower in EQ (we also have some EQ-i data that some use to support this idea – don’t get me started). I then asked them to exchange cards again with a new person using the ‘Asian method’ of presenting with 2 hands and high regard for the content of card. They commented that the Asian method was more respectful and allowed for more time for connection – so much for Asians being less emotionally intelligent ;-)

Will you be at the 2009 Toronto Conference? Register now at www.mhs.com/icei/

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

• Improving organizational effectiveness in First Nations’ (Native or Aboriginal Canadian) organizations in BC
• Ongoing work in Calgary in the petroleum industry (we now have a Calgary telephone number: 403-775-0041)
• Work with Nexen Inc., Canadian CGA Association, the City of Richmond, Abbotsford Police Department, Abbostford Community Services, Fraser Valley Health Authority, BC Provincial Government, and EI China in Beijing