Articles about emotional intelligence
Grappling with connectedness and the mythology of independence
I was invited to a virtual coaching networking meeting, knowing only one person. Joining new groups can be uncomfortable for…
The privilege of social isolation
Yes, these are incredibly unstable times and the impacts are being felt by everyone worldwide. Collectively, we are now thinking…
Practicing silence in coaching and leadership
For coaches and leaders, comfort with silence is essential. Silence lets us slow down. When we slow down all kinds…
Problem solving is the enemy of empathy
Listening is hard work. And listening to someone’s pain is even harder. Humans are good at avoiding pain. And we…
“No guts, no glory” “No pain, no gain” “Keep your nose to the grindstone” “When the going gets tough, the tough get going” While there may be some truth in each of these sayings about the workplace, there is a…
Courage is commonly thought of in the context of an incredible act of bravery, or overcoming extreme adversity or risk. In everyday life, we might think of courage as getting up in the night to see if the noise we…
It continues to amaze me how some employees treat the very people who will be writing their reference letters. Who’s writing your reference letter or who is going to provide a reference for you and what are they going to…
“We see the world not the way it is, but the way we are” – Talmud This ancient notion points to how unconscious or implicit biases arise. The strength of unconscious biases is it can help us think and make…
Reality testing and learning to change our opinions
“As much as we might like to believe that we can flip a switch and become dispassionate, coldly logical evaluators…
Fully formed and fully functioning is a fiction
There can be a lot of pressure to present as fully formed and fully functioning. There are myriad problems with…
Authenticity condundrum: leadership skill or reason to be a jerk?
Authenticity is a critical concept in contemporary leadership. Just look at any of the literature on leadership over the past…
The backwards bicycle and neuroplasticity
The backwards bicycle was designed by some welders that work with Destin, an internet-famous science communicator. He’s funny and engaging…
Healthy self-regard in effective leaders
I once spoke at a leadership conference where a leader in my field was one of the other speakers. I…
One of the biggest problems in workplace performance: lack of awareness of impact
Have you ever noticed that most workplace issues stem from someone’s lack of awareness of their impact on others? The…
How to effectively engage in traditional family gatherings (like Festivus)
The family gathering is a common enough event, even in modern life. But for many people, weekends spent with family…
Emotional Intelligence and Gender Based Violence
I just had lunch with a colleague who just returned from a country, which shall remain nameless, where she was…
Emotionally intelligent features of the Bechdel Test
Wow, what a couple of weeks for the Bechdel Test. I heard an interview last week on the radio with…
The Emotional Intelligence of Physicians
When I told friends and colleagues I was going to be spending two days last week teaching an Emotional Intelligence…
Emotional Intelligence resources
Leaders with Emotional Intelligence – published in the Art of Leadership Magazine, Spring 2013 (PDF)
Leading with Emotional Intelligence – presented at the ASEAN World HR Congress, Kuala Lumpur, 2010
Coaching Leaders – published in the Vancouver Board of Trade periodical, “Sounding Board” (PDF)
Return on investment reports
There are two very interesting reports with research on the measurable impact of EI development in organizations: