Leading with EI: Transforming Teams and Culture In today’s ever-evolving workplace, technical skills and strategic thinking are no longer enough, particularly in the current political and economic climate. The most effective leaders are those who lead with emotional intelligence (EI) — the ability to recognize, understand, and manage their own and others’ emotions. EI is not just a “nice-to-have” trait; it’s an essential driver of team performance, employee engagement, and organizational culture. Why Emotional Intelligence Matters Daniel Goleman’s seminal work on Emotional Intelligence in the 1990s set the foundation for “why” EI matters. Research consistently shows that leaders with high EI foster more collaborative, resilient, and innovative teams. They’re better at navigating conflict, building trust, and creating psychologically safe environments where people feel seen, heard, and valued. Studies by Harvard Business Review and TalentSmart have found that EI accounts for nearly 90% of what sets high performers apart from their peers. The Five Pillars of EI in Leadership Self-Awareness Great leaders know their strengths, blind spots, and emotional triggers. They reflect regularly and seek feedback to grow. Self-Regulation Staying calm under pressure, managing impulses, and responding rather than reacting are hallmarks of emotionally intelligent leadership. Motivation EI-driven leaders are purpose-driven. They inspire others through their passion, persistence, and optimism. Empathy Empathy is the cornerstone of connection. Leaders who listen deeply and understand others’ perspectives build stronger relationships and more inclusive cultures. Social Skills From influencing and coaching to resolving conflict and building networks, strong social skills help leaders move teams forward with clarity and cohesion. EI in Action: Transforming Culture When leaders model emotional intelligence, it cascades throughout the organization. Teams become more collaborative. Communication improves. Turnover decreases. And innovation thrives. In this era of navigating uncertainty and change, the ability to leverage our emotions as a strength is critical. I recently supported a leadership team to strengthen their team culture and productivity. As team members gained a deeper understanding of their respective ways to navigate conflict, build trust and communicate effectively, it became evident that emotional intelligence was at the core of their challenges. We began with an exercise of naming emotions by using the Emotion Wheel. Being able to more clearly verbalize our emotional states and our perceived emotional states of colleagues facilitates our ability to self-regulate and empathize. According to researcher Vanessa Urch Druskat, to create top-performing teams at all levels of the organization, you need team emotional intelligence. Team EI is different than individual EI. It is a set of norms that meet the core social needs activated when people enter teams. The top three norms for meeting people’s social needs are understanding each other better, routinely assessing strengths and opportunities, and routinely talking about stakeholders. Practical Ways to Lead with EI Start with self-reflection. Use tools like journaling or 360-degree feedback to build self-awareness. Vista Global is certified to administer the ESCI 360 developed by Daniel Goleman. Practice active listening. Give your full attention in conversations and validate others’ experiences. Respond with curiosity. When emotions run high, ask questions instead of making assumptions. Invest in development. Offer EI training and coaching to leaders at all levels. Final Thoughts Leading with EI is not a one-time initiative — it’s a lifelong practice. But the payoff is profound: stronger teams, healthier cultures, and more human-centered leadership. In a world where change is constant, emotional intelligence is the anchor that helps organizations thrive. Contact us to learn how Vista Global can support the journey of understanding your EI competencies and approaches to strengthen your team emotional intelligence. Interested in learning more? Check out our other blog posts: Building Emotional Intelligence as a Leader: How Our Brain Shapes Our Emotions Emotional Intelligence is the Leadership Game Changer
Change is Constant: Transition is an Ongoing Journey Ten years ago, I designed a leadership program to support people at a crossroad, asking the question, “What’s Next?” Vista Leadership Institute combined self-discovery, leadership skill development, coaching and prototyping the next chapter of your life. In 2022, I sunsetted the formal program and transitioned the design to a stand-alone coaching package called Personal Odyssey Coaching. The Transition Framework is not a new concept. It is something I became familiar with earlier in my career through the work of William Bridges, the change management expert who outlined three stages of change: Endings, the Neutral Zone, and New Beginnings. The difference between change and transition is an important distinction. Change is an external event that takes place (job loss, pandemic, war, new leadership). Change can happen quickly. According to Bridges, “Transition is the inner psychological process that people go through as they internalize and come to terms with the new situation that the change brings about.” Supporting people through transition is essential if any desired change is to be successful. This work happens in the Neutral Zone. The Neutral Zone is the second stage of transition, where leaders experience letting go. It is the core of the transition process and doesn’t feel neutral at all. Leaders feel disoriented and distressed. It is when the critical psychological realignment and repatterning take place. It is a place of emergence of new beginnings. In Personal Odyssey Coaching, I use the Theory U framework by Otto Scharmer to support leaders in navigating the neutral zone. The neutral zone is the seedbed for new beginnings. Theory U provides the steps to move from being stuck to exploring new beginnings. Over the last five years, there has been an acceleration of change requiring leaders to seek increased support to navigate the world we live in. I have clients who have lost their jobs due to international funding cuts, leading them to explore different pathways to work internationally, others who have decided to retire and start new businesses, or enroll in a degree program to pursue a new career. Transition Coaching is now a formal business. You can search the internet and find many different opportunities for this type of coaching support. Given that change is constant, the question to answer is “How transition-ready are you?” Transition Coaching can offer numerous benefits: Clarification of your values, alignment of purpose with work Increased resilience, emotional intelligence and flexibility Supportive accountability and encouragement through the neutral zone A road map to “What’s Next” If you are in the neutral zone now or know it is coming, contact me to discuss transition coaching and the Personal Odyssey Tour. Your future self will thank you for it!
Leveraging Your Strengths to Lead Successfully Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about being a solopreneur and how understanding my strengths led to my success. Shortly after writing that post, I took the CliftonStrengths 34 assessment again. It had been eleven years. I was a member of a new global team and was curious to learn if anything had shifted in those eleven years. The CliftonStrengths assessment has been used by more than 34 million people globally to identify natural talents. It provides a deep understanding of 34 themes of your natural patterns of thinking, feeling and behaving in four domains: Executing: Help you make things happen Influencing: Help you take charge, speak up and make sure others are heard Relationship Building: Help you build strong relationships that hold teams together Strategic Thinking: Help you absorb and analyze information that informs better decisions In 2012, when I started my business, five of my top ten themes were in the Executing domain. That helped me launch my business and get things done. When I completed the assessment again in 2023, the top ten themes shifted slightly to include four themes in the Influencing domain and four themes in the Executing domain. As I reflect on this minor shift, I see how my business has evolved. Although I am still “Making Things Happen” as a solopreneur, I am leveraging more of my Influencing themes of Woo (Winning Others Over), Communication and Activator to lead more successfully. Woo helps leaders bring people together, make them feel welcome. These leaders are great at connecting people within their networks. Leaders with Communication theme are talented in helping others gain clarity on issues by asking questions to bring their thoughts out in the open. An Activator is someone who can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They have comfort with trying and failing until they get it right. They allow other people to have that comfort too. I am still a solopreneur, however, I work within teams all the time. Whether I am leading a project with several associate consultants or managing a team of coaches, I leverage my Executing and Influencing themes to deliver high-quality results. Gallup has created a new report called CliftonStrengths for Leaders, which provides insights and advice based on your results to help you become a better leader. Individuals who use their strengths regularly and intentionally are more likely to be engaged in their job and report an excellent quality of life. The most effective leaders are always investing in their strengths. Are you leveraging your strengths to lead successfully? If not, let’s connect to get you on the path of investing in your strengths and living a more fulfilling life.
Emotional Intelligence is the Leadership Game Changer I have been curious about leadership development for decades. In the early 2000’s, I came across the seminal book Emotional Intelligence (EI) by Daniel Goleman which was groundbreaking in defining what makes a leader. Emotional and Social intelligence is the capacity for recognizing our own feelings and those of others, for motivating ourselves and for managing emotions effectively in ourselves and in others. It describes the behaviors that sustain people in challenging roles or as their careers become more demanding, and it captures the qualities that help people deal effectively with change. In Goleman’s earliest work, he conducted research with 188 companies and found that the qualities traditionally associated with leadership- such as intelligence and technical skills – are required for success, yet they are insufficient. The truly effective leaders have high degrees of emotional intelligence, which includes self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. When calculating the ratio of technical skills, IQ and emotional intelligence as ingredients for excellent performance, EI proved to be twice as important as the others for outstanding performance at all levels of organizations. Since 1995, Goleman has advanced his research, refining the framework of EI qualities. These initial five qualities evolved into four domains: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management. Self-awareness: Recognizing and understanding your own emotions. All of the other emotional and social intelligence competencies are built upon emotional self-awareness. Self-management: Effectively managing your own emotions. Keeps you open-minded and focused. Helps you channel your energies and contain your frustrations. Social Awareness: Recognizing and understanding the emotions of others. Helps you tune in and stay alert to others’ feelings and perspectives, and enables you to observe – accurately – influencers, decision makers, relationships and networks. Relationship Management: Applying emotional understanding in your dealings with others. Enables you to bring out the best in others. Helps you deliver much more than you possibly can on your own. Within each domain are 12 EI competencies which are learnable capabilities that foster outstanding performance as a leader. Our self-perception or intention may not align with how others perceive our actions. The ability to close the gap between self-perception and reputation lies in the EI competencies. To excel, leaders need to develop the entire suite of EI competencies. Some competencies may be more naturally present than others. All competencies can be learned and measured. An initial step to develop EI competencies is to complete a comprehensive 360-degree assessment which collects your self-rating and the views of others that know you well. The different rater groups should be your manager, the people you lead, peers, customers/clients and others you work closely with. The more raters included, the better perspective you will gain. Receiving results of a 360-degree assessment is the first step to map your journey in developing EI competencies. Coaching is the most effective method for supporting your development as you practice new behaviors and develop new perspectives. I recently became certified in the Emotional and Social Competency Inventory (ESCI 360) developed by Daniel Goleman and Richard Boyatzis in partnership with Korn Ferry. The assessment measures the 12 different competencies through reviewing 68 specific behaviors. I am excited to have a tool to support the learning I have gained about EI over the last 20 years. I can now support leaders in their journey from knowledge to measurement to development of behaviors. If you are feeling like it is time to “up your game” as a leader, consider the ESCI 360 and coaching support to move to the next level as a leader. Not sure where to start? Let’s connect to explore your options.
The Importance of Upstream Reciprocity During COVID-19 As we continue to ride the unpredictable wave of COVID-19, many of us are feeling a shift in our emotional wellness. It is not uncommon to have a shift in mental wellbeing, especially when faced with large amounts of change and uncertainty. This emotional rollercoaster can lead to communication disconnects, efficiency issues, and overall lack of motivation and feeling of lesser value in the workplace. As leaders, how can we prevent our team from experiencing an emotional lull? Check in With Your Team Since March, life as we once knew it has changed. Many people have been uprooted from their jobs or homes, and organizations have been forced to adopt work from home strategies. As we transition into this “new reality” and continue to adapt to the constant changing ways of life, it can be hard to feel grounded. By reaching out to your team members each day, it lets them know that you’re thinking of them and that their work is valued. This can be as simple as a text, iChat, WhatsApp message, “How is your day going?” This is also a good time to check in on their work-life balance. Many people, especially those who have children, have had to put on the hats of parent, teacher and childcare providers, all while trying to accomplish a 40-hour work week. By checking in, it lets your team know that they aren’t alone and gives you a better sense of those who may need additional support to navigate these uncertain times. Show Appreciation and Gratitude According to a study conducted by the University of Melbourne, “The significant relationship between gratitude and job satisfaction suggests that organizational leaders can aim to boost job satisfaction by regularly prompting grateful emotions.” When working remotely, hard work can often go unnoticed. By showing gratitude towards completed projects, goals, or tasks, your team members will feel acknowledged and appreciated. Here are four simple ways to help your team feel seen and appreciated. Encourage Social Connecting, Not Distancing Much of the world is in the first phases of reopening, however “social distancing” is still being encouraged. Although it is important to remain physically distanced from one another, maintaining social connections with friends, family, and colleagues is vital for your emotional wellbeing. As a leader, encourage your team to participate in virtual social or happy hours. This promotes social connections within your organization and gives your colleagues an opportunity to check in on one another. By providing a sense of community, your team is likely to feel more motivated and at ease during these uncertain times.
3 Ways that Defining your Talents Will Help Build your Personal Brand I recently hosted a “sneak peek” webcast on the topic of personal values and strengths. This offered participants a window into the Vista Leadership Institute programs and the journey of crafting your next chapter. We start with the broad question of “Who am I?” and “Where are my natural talents?” The CliftonStrengths assessment measures your natural talents from 34 themes and you arrive at the list of your “Top 5”. Continue reading “3 Ways that Defining your Talents Will Help Build your Personal Brand”
