History – How the course began

It started with colleagues joining me for Tai Chi practice. This lead me to explore the benefits of meditation which is exactly what you are doing as you calmly move through your Tai Chi routine. Colleagues reported feeling and noticing significant changes in their behaviour while practicing.

How powerful was a meditation practice?

This lead me to dive deeper into the health and meditation benefits of Tai Chi. On my journey I came across the work done at Google on their ‘Search Inside Yourself’ course. I found their research fascinating especially with regards to the six competencies that distinguish star performers from average performers in the tech sector. Turns out that four are emotional intelligence with the top two being EQ. What was mind-blowing was that emotional intelligence was trainable through a mindfulness meditation practice.

Emotional intelligence (EQ) is your ability to recognise and understand emotions in yourself and others. The ability to use this awareness to manage your behaviour and relationships more effectively.

Decades of research now points to emotional intelligence as the critical factor that sets star performers apart from the rest of the pack. It’s a powerful way to focus your energy in one direction with a tremendous result. Emotional intelligence has a direct link to your earning potential. Every point increase in EQ adds $1300 to an annual salary. This is true in all industries, at all levels all over the world. Besides supporting your career emotional intelligence training can support your life as well. Emotional intelligence influences health related outcomes. It reduces the perception of stress in response to trying situations. EQ strengthens the brains ability to cope with emotional stress. It helps you from having your amygdala highjack your brain. This resilience boost your immunity which protects you from getting sick.

Emotional intelligence training is essential because you gain value in many areas of your life. I have experienced the benefits thanks to my years of Tai Chi and blessed to have been trained by an amazing teacher, Grandmaster Dr Lin Feng-Chao. Who was a student of Cheng Man-ch’ing. I’ve also been witness to the effects a mindfulness meditation practice has had on colleagues and students. This is the main reason I developed a 6 week emotional intelligence training course at JUMO.

Corporations’ Newest Productivity Hack: Meditation. Businesses are experiencing the benefits of improving emotional intelligence in the workplace. We have a number of Mindfulness Meditation courses that can bring a productivity boost to staff, enhances focus, creativity and over all well-being. See an outline of what is covered in the emotional intelligence training course.


Individual Emotional Intelligence Mindfulness Meditation Workshop

Begin a journey of self discovery. Take a introductory class to learn the benefits of mindfulness meditation. We will teach you basic techniques so you can begin experiencing the advantages of a meditation practice. Studies show that emotional competencies are twice as important as pure intellect and expertise. Learn how meditation builds emotional intelligence which is a key factor in success at work and life.

Meditation is also a powerful tool in dealing with stress. The key to emotional intelligence is keen attention. Learn methods and techniques to gain this valuable ability. Mindfulness does not require having to sit cross-legged on a cushion. We show you how to practice mindfulness in all areas of your life. Additional Benefits of Learning to Meditate

  • Emotional stability improves
  • Creativity increases
  • Happiness increases
  • Intuition develops
  • Gain clarity and peace of mind
  • Problems become smaller
  • Meditation sharpens and focuses the mind
  • A sharper mind reduces tension, anger and frustration
  • Mindfulness meditation improves connections in the brain

Learn more about the science behind meditation. Science is making some amazing discoveries to a skill that has been around for thousands of years. Our post on the 7 Qualities of People with High Emotional Intelligence. Take an introductory 2hr class to begin your attention training NOW! For a full course take a look at the company 6 week option below.

What we cover in the course.

1. Attention Training Attention is the basis of all higher cognitive and emotional abilities. Thus the key to emotional intelligence training is ATTENTION. The idea is to create a quality of mind that is clear and calm at the same time. We use mindfulness meditation techniques to build attention. We explore ways besides the traditional sitting meditation to enable us to be mindful whenever possible. Allow the student to experiment and explore their own unique experiences to tailor mindfulness into their day to day activities.

2. Self-Knowledge and Self-Mastery Use your trained attention to better perceive ones own cognitive and emotive processes. Begin to observe ones thought stream and the process of emotion with clarity. Learn to observe from a third-person perspective. Once you can do that, you create the type of deep self-knowledge that eventually leads to self-mastery.

3. Creating Useful Social and Mental Habits “I wish for this person to be happy”, becomes your habitual instinctive first thought. Having such habits can change everything at work. This sincere goodwill is picked up unconsciously by others creating strong trust. This leads to highly productive collaborations. Such habits can be volitionally trained.

There are 6 Modules

The course consist of 6 main areas than run for an hour a week for six weeks. Ideally have a gap between modules so students can practice the mindfulness meditation practices.

Module 1: Talks about the importance of emotional intelligence training. The science and research that highlight the effects and benefits of a mindfulness meditation practice and how it supports the improvement and optimisation of EQ.

Module 2: The theory and practice of mindfulness meditation. Get into the nitty gritty.

Module 3: Mindfulness meditation is not just about sitting. We explore ways you can bring mindfulness to other parts of your life. A good example is walking meditation which appeals to more physical people. Why I enjoy Tai Chi so much, meditation in movement.

Module 4: Self-Confidence, this section is about looking within ourselves. A single word encapsulates this section ’clarity’.

Module 5: Self-Mastery, in the sections we make use of self-awareness to gain mastery over our emotions.

Module 6: Empathy & Compassion. Develop empathy through understanding and connecting to others. These are the keys for developing trust which are essential for effective and collaborative relationships.

3 Course Options

1 Day Emotional Intelligence Mindfulness Meditation Workshop

We cover modules 1,2 & 3 which build the core skill of attention training which is the foundation you need to build and improve EQ. A follow up day in the future once a student has developed a good meditation practice enables them to leverage modules 4, 5 & 6 more effectively.


2 Day Emotional Intelligence Mindfulness Meditation Workshop

We cover all the modules. Day 1 we cover modules 1,2 & 3 which build the core skill of attention training which is the foundation you need to build and improve EQ.

Day 2 we do modules 4, 5 & 6. Ideally one should give the students time to improve and refine their attention training. Best is to run the second day sometime in the future.


Introduction and Emotional Intelligence Kick Starter

We offer a 1 hour talk to introduce the benefits of mindfulness meditation. Show how it support emotional intelligence and give staff a kick starter to begin a meditation practice. Get a view into why EQ is so important in both work and personal lives. Learn techniques of mindfulness that do not require sitting cross-legged on a cushion.

7 Qualities of Emotionally Intelligence People

  1. They are adaptable. People with a strong EQ are not afraid of change. The understand it’s a necessary part of life.
  2. Strong Self-Awareness. People strong in self-awareness know what they are good at and what they still need to master. Understand what weaknesses they need to work on. Know what environments are optimal for their work style.
  3. Empathy. This is the strongest gift. Having an innate ability to truly understand people builds trust and authenticity. The foundation of any relationship work or personal.
  4. Not Perfectionists. Life is always changing it’s never static. People strong in EQ understand that perfection is impossible. They learn to roll with the punches and learn from mistakes.
  5. They’re Balanced. How someone is balancing their work and personal lives is extremely important. They eat well, get plenty of sleep and have interests outside work.
  6. Curiosity. People strong in EQ don’t judge, they explore the possibilities. An inborn sense of wonder makes them delightful to be around.
  7. They set an example for others to follow. Highly emotionally intelligent people don’t get flustered when things don’t go according to plan. Have a knack for getting along with others. An ability to rise above daily irritations earns people with high emotional intelligence the respect from those above them as well as from their colleagues.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Meditation and the Science
  5. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  6. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  7. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  8. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’

Useful Links

  1. Revolutionary I Ching App Harness ChatGPT for Hexagram Insights, Apple App Store – Google Play Store
  2. Collection of engaging and enlightening stories for children that explore the principles of Taoism. Download on Amazon
  3. Learn more about the aiching.app
  4. Interested in Tai Chi?

Managing and leading are two different ways of leadership development in people. Leadership is establishing a compelling vision or direction for a team to strive to achieve.

Companies around the globe are all working towards being recognised as the benchmark organisation in their industry sector as well as receive recognition across other industries sectors as world-class.

According to Utpal Vaishnav, world-class organisations share several common characteristics: They require continuous development, happy employees, customers and vendors, as well as consistent innovation, leadership, a sense of ownership, operation excellence, and transparency.

The above-mentioned characteristics would need to be developed, implemented and managed by people and teams within the organisation. More specifically, by the right people, with the right skills, abilities and attributes that are constantly developing themselves to be the best leader/employee they can be.

Leadership vs Management

Managing and leading are two different ways of developing people. Leadership is establishing a compelling vision or direction for a team to strive to achieve — i.e., a leader is the spearhead for that new direction. However, management is generally about controlling or directing people and resources to achieve a goal by the utilization of procedures, principles or values that have already been established.

The “manager” uses a structured, rational methodology opposed to the leader who at times operates on passion and stirs emotions.

Leadership and management are not necessarily two sides of a coin. In fact, leadership may a strong component of management. Often the same people play both roles at different times within the organisation – being both leader and manager. Most successful managers are also good leaders. On the other hand, leaders do well if they also have managerial skills because it assists them in foreseeing the implementation aspects of their strategic vision.

The common mistake that organisations make, is to employ an individual with management traits and experience, thinking that they will make a difference within the organisation and be able to lead a successful team.

Organisations need to assess for and identify the correct personal traits when looking at recruiting and succession planning but also ensure that individuals are provided with ongoing leadership development which would enable leaders to strive to achieve a common purpose and goal consistently throughout the organisation.

The Importance of Development

World-class leaders have characteristics and attributes which set them apart from others. Even individuals who would be considered to already be excellent managers would still need to develop themselves to be exceptional leaders. In some cases, there are “natural-born leaders”, however, world-class leaders would have to acquire additional skills and knowledge. Any person with a basic ability to learn and a willingness to study can develop these competencies. It’s not “rocket science”; it is practice and determination to succeed.

More importantly, although there is a great difference in capability between an excellent manager and a world-class leader, the reality is that their characteristics are amplifications of those required for all levels of effective leadership. Therefore, the aim is to build on the existing base of knowledge and skills by continuous learning and by taking the time for reflection and study.                     

According to the theory of John Maxwell in “The Five Levels of Leadership”, a level-four leader will focus on reproducing himself and developing future leaders.

Leadership development is of utmost importance in attaining a high-performance organisation. By developing identified employees as individual leaders, companies will create a collective force that will lead to optimal efficiency and effectiveness.

Effective leadership within organisations is the key to success in the long run.

World-wide effective leaders have an impact on people around them. Companies who prosper are led by effective leaders. Although the central leader does form a critical part in the success of the team, it is the circle of leaders around this leader that will have the greatest impact. Thus the importance of cultivating a workforce of leaders.

The good news is that leaders can be developed through effective leadership training. The training should cover the emotional, practical, and theoretical aspects of great leadership.

Some of the benefits of leadership development can include:

  1. Increased productivity.

The right individual with the correct leadership style can increase the productivity of a team or work force. The fundamental key to successful leadership is about understanding your people emotionally. Therefore emotional intelligence is critical to the success of a leader. Emotional intelligence involves being smart about emotions and using empathy effectively to empower, encourage and engage employees.

  1. Increased staff retention

As determined by a number of articles and studies, the majority of people who resign don’t quit their jobs, they quit their bosses. Employees are more likely to leave the workplace due to an ineffective leader and a negative culture as oppose to work stress and a lack of benefits. Therefore, by investing in leadership training, you can retain your people and reduce costly recruitment expenses.

  1. Nurturing of future leaders.

It is import for a company to focus on future leaders by developing strategic succession plans. Without strategy, leadership roles are often given to the candidates “next in line” with a dominant personality and who is perceived as someone who will be able to take charge.

Quality leadership is a combination of having the correct qualities and receiving the correct training. Identify those who have what it takes and provide them with targeted leadership training.

Nurturing future leaders supports succession planning and offers career pathways to employees, which in turn will create employee engagement and increase retention.

  1. Increase Employee involvement

It is undeniable that individuals all like to know how they are progressing in their roles, receiving praise when it is well-earned and constructive feedback as and when necessary. Giving feedback is a skill of successful leaders, feedback given in the incorrect manner can make or break an individual or group. Through leadership training, you can teach effective ways to give feedback to motivate and increase the skill level of the team.

  1. Implementation of an effective leadership style.

Ken Blanchard proposes situational leadership, which focuses on the leadership style which would best suit an individual as well as the situation. The most important aspect when implementing situational leadership is focusing on the quadrant of the task allocated to the individual rather than placing an individual into a specific quadrant.

Leadership training can assist in implementing the most appropriate leadership style at each level within the organization. There are several leadership styles, all with their own advantages and disadvantages. Leadership training can also help individual leaders develop their own personal leadership style that their team members will best respond to.

Conclusion

High-performing organisations should focus on leadership development throughout the entire business structure to ensure that all employees grasp their purpose within the organisation and take ownership for the succession of their teams as well as themselves.

I found this a valuable read and originally found the post here.

Image from unspalsh by Raw Pixel


I was fortunate enough to have started Tai Chi a moving meditation at a very early age. Practising Tai Chi for over 25 years has allowed me to build a solid foundation to support the most important aspect of EQ development, which is attention training.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Meditation and the Science
  5. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  6. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  7. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  8. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’

In emotional intelligence, self-control is a personal competence developed in every good leader. Learn the 1 emotional intelligence skill you need to be hugely successful. This skill can be developed, we can show you how with our course.

I saw this article posted on inc.com and it is so true. The 1 Emotional Intelligence Skill You Need to Be Hugely Successful. Think about a work scenario in your past when the proverbial fit hit the shan. Perhaps an unforeseen circumstance that led to a massive layoff. Or a mistake that sent your biggest client packing for a competitor. How did your leadership team or immediate boss respond during the crisis? Was he rock solid, calm, clear-headed, optimistic, and a beacon of light for the team? Or did he have a bad reaction, throw temper tantrums, point fingers at other people, and further act on impulse with more bad choices that sent morale and productivity spiraling? We have a leadership term for the latter scenario. In emotional intelligence studies, it’s called self-management, or lack thereof, in this case. I prefer a more generic term that is equally effective for further discussion: Self-control.

Why Self-Control Matters for Leaders

Ancient wisdom says that “a person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out.” You become defenseless and open yourself up to harm. In a business sense, harm here equals losing influence, respect and trust from those you lead. Why is this the case? Lets back up a bit. In emotional intelligence, self-control (or “self-management”) is a personal competence developed in every good leader. The question behind self-control is: Can I manage my emotions and behavior to a positive outcome? Internationally known psychologist and best-selling author, Daniel Goleman, says this about leaders with self-control:

“Reasonable people–the ones who maintain control over their emotions–are the people who can sustain safe, fair environments. In these settings, drama is very low and productivity is very high. Top performers flock to these organizations and are not apt to leave them.”

If leaders have no capacity for self-control, the flip side is not good. How do you think it impacts an organization’s performance? A company’s bottom line? Relationships? Stress?

What a Lack of Self-Control Will Do

One of the major obstacles stemming from a lack of self-control is unfiltered anger. Who will ever forget last year’s unfortunate and very publicized incident involving the CEO of Restoration Hardware Holdings Inc., who went off on his whole company with a flaming internal memo written mostly with the caps lock on. Instead of displaying leadership during a decline in customer service that led to an increase in canceled orders, he reacted adversely and spared no one with threats of termination. While I wasn’t in the building and have not interviewed people at Restoration, I’ll make a small wager with anyone that employees were disengaged and unhappy, which may have affected their performance. Any takers? Anger is one powerful, and quite normal, human emotion. But it needs to be expressed in a healthy way. There’s a place and time for appropriate anger, and we all have to learn how to manage it, or it will manage us. Self-control takes care of that.

How to Improve Self-Control

Self-control, along with mindfulness, are skills we teach and coach leaders so they have the capacity to be present, calm and focused during times of high stress. It’s a necessary virtue with long term payoff. Here are 5 ways a leader can improve self-control:

1. Identify your feelings.

Is there a strong emotion behind missing a deadline, hesitation about a meeting, or an intuitive sense that the environment you are working in may not be the right fit for you? The starting point is always to exercise self-awareness before you act on your emotions.

2. Figure out what your triggers are.

If you lost self-control, it can be a learning moment. What triggered you to just lose it? It’s likely a reaction to something much deeper, perhaps unresolved. Whatever is at the bottom of the pile needs to be taken care of first–that’s the primary emotion causing the unwanted secondary like anger, fear, or guilt. So what’s really bugging you?

3. Be aware of when it happens.

Does it happen during times of stress? Fear? Anxiety? Exhaustion? For me, my self-control is at its lowest when I’m tired after a long day of work. I get especially grumpy and irritable but I’m aware of it enough to resist any temptation to make a really bad choice.

4. Be intentional and take massive action.

Now that you know the real cause of your negative emotion, be intentional about breaking the cycle. Was your reaction appropriate to begin with? Was it directed at the right time, or to the right person? Maybe the lesson is to learn a more proactive response, or better decision-making. Perhaps it’s to not act at all, but just “be” and listen more to other perspectives before pulling the trigger.

5. Change your mindset.

The power of choice, saying in your heart of hearts, “this is who I choose to be” rather than “this is who I am,” will cause your paradigm to shift, leading to more self-control and less impulsiveness. But don’t be fooled, a new mindset will take a lot of work, practice, and self-discipline until behaviors become habitual.

Bringing It Home

Self-control is crucial for leaders and managers at all levels because no employee wants to work for someone who is not in control of themselves and their emotions, especially during difficult times. Leading by fear, yelling, and bullying is an extinct custom that has no place in the current social economy which values relationships, collaboration, and authenticity.


I was fortunate enough to have started Tai Chi a moving meditation at a very early age. Practising Tai Chi for over 25 years has allowed me to build a solid foundation to support the most important aspect of EQ development, which is attention training.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Meditation and the Science
  5. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  6. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  7. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  8. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’

Women are uniquely equipped with the soft skills required to succeed in negotiation. Emotional Intelligence Gives Women an Upper Hand as Negotiators. Learn EQ training.

Wanted to share this great post

It’s one of the oldest business adages in the book: You don’t get what you deserve, you get what you negotiate. Successful negotiation, particularly in high-stakes situations, is often the difference between a smashing success and a crushing failure.

Related: How to Deal With Jerks at Work Without Becoming One

In the past, negotiation has been conceived of as a battle of wills, a deadlock between two aggressive parties where the first one to blink loses. However, in my experience, successful negotiation is much more nuanced – and much less testosterone-fueled.

Winning is good, but finding solutions that are satisfactory to both parties is best.

Women, with their innate emotional intelligence, are uniquely equipped with the soft skills required to succeed in negotiation. Here’s why:

1. Successful negotiation requires building relationships.

The key to any successful negotiation is establishing relationships of trust. Without these mutual understandings, the parties will focus on serving their own selfish needs and compromise will be difficult.

It’s rare for any two parties to enter negotiation ready to fully yield to the other’s requests. The power of a healthy relationship can step into this gap and help build bridges between two otherwise estranged groups.

“Women tend to be better at emotional empathy than men, in general,“ Dr. Dan Goleman wrote in Psychology Today. “This kind of empathy fosters rapport and chemistry. People who excel in emotional empathy make good counselors, teachers and group leaders because of this ability to sense in the moment how others are reacting.”

Ranking high in emotional intelligence gives women an edge when it comes to building relationships. Empathy – understanding where people are coming from and what they need, is perhaps the single most important part of building a strong relationship – and successfully negotiating with someone.

Related: Women, It’s Time to Take Control

2. Being able to articulately describe feelings is key.

The ability to express one’s feelings is another crucial element of negotiation. Two stiff-lipped negotiators can stare each other down for hours without success, waiting for the other to crack.

As women, society gives us the necessary permission to use the language we need to communicate our emotions. As LaRae Quy, an FBI counterintelligence agent, has noted, “Little girls are given permission by society to be empathetic, use language that expresses emotions, and place priorities on developing deep and meaningful relationships (starting with dolls).”

Unfortunately, men do not receive the same opportunity. Men’s stoicism can be an Achilles heel in negotiation, as successfully identifying and matching emotional currents in the room can mean the difference between success and failure.

“The effective negotiator or mediator must take into account not only the economic, political and physical aspects of the process, but also the emotional tenor of themselves as well as that of all of the parties,“ Edward Kelly and Natalija Kaminskienė wrote in their landmark study on the importance of emotional intelligence in negotiation and mediation.

Women’s ability to recognize and speak about their feelings and those of others make them naturally suited for negotiation.

3. In negotiation, influence means more than authority.

Men often approach negotiation from a position of authority. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that, I believe it is not the best or most effective tactic to use when trying to build consensus.

Everyone has some level of resistance to authority.

Related: Powerful Women Don’t Need the Limelight to Be Influential. Here’s Why.

With power always comes the threat of abuse. Influence, on the other hand, is a more subtle thing. It’s generated by empathizing with the person you are negotiating with and steering their opinions in your direction. It’s what really sparks the combustion in the engines of negotiation.

Women’s empathy and relationship-building ability allows them to quickly build influence with others. They can read a room and gauge what the peripheral audience thinks of the situation.

All of this data collection gives them sway in the negotiation. Their influence over the situation increases the odds that the final compromise will swing in their favor.

4. Sensitivity to feedback is crucial when working out a compromise.

A 2016 study detailed in the Harvard Business Review compared dozens of male and female students at a Spanish business college, and found that the women were significantly more sensitive to peer feedback than their male counterparts.

While one’s self-esteem should never be reliant on the opinions of others, sensitivity to feedback can be a tremendous advantage in some situations – like high stakes negotiation. If you’re not listening to the other party and taking their positions seriously, you’re not engaged in a negotiation – it’s an argument.

Every negotiation is different, and of course, men have innate skills that are very valuable as well, but women are rightfully beginning to take their place at the table as expert negotiators, and it’s not hard to see why.


I was fortunate enough to have started Tai Chi a moving meditation at a very early age. Practising Tai Chi for over 25 years has allowed me to build a solid foundation to support the most important aspect of EQ development, which is attention training.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Meditation and the Science
  5. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  6. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  7. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  8. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’

Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom. To know yourself is to master self awareness. Self-awareness is positively correlated with higher levels of overall happiness.

The first step for practicing self-awareness is gaining a greater awareness of your emotions. The second step is making a habit of tracking your feelings. Begin to track your most positive feelings and your most negative feelings. This is where Fettle can assist.

Fettle: state or condition of health, fitness, wholeness, spirit, or form – often used in the phrase, “In Fine Fettle”. What is your fettle state?

Every Evening Score Your Day. Rate it between -2, -1, 0, +1 & +2. Write a brief paragraph of the days highlights. Write down your most positive feelings and your most negative feelings.

learn to see what makes your life a low 🙁 of -2 OR a HIGH 🙂 of +2. Overtime you will build a picture and drill down to see what in your life
sparks a +2 🙂 and what provokes a -2 🙁

You will begin to notice patterns and trends. Begin to see what makes you truly happy!

Download from the App Store

To learn more the app is also available as a web app at fettle.life

I was fortunate enough to have started Tai Chi a moving meditation at a very early age. Practicing Tai Chi for over 25 years has allowed me to build a solid foundation to support the most important aspect of EQ development, which is attention training.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Improve Self Awareness with the Fettle-App
  5. Meditation and the Science
  6. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  7. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  8. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  9. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’

Emotional intelligence as a leadership predictor. Emotional Intelligence is trainable, even in adults. Learn EQ with a mindfulness meditation course. EQ is twice as important as IQ plus you earn a higher salary.

Emotional Intelligence as a Leadership Predictor was a great post from Rita Balian Allen Executive Coach and Career Development Consultant Everyone is familiar with the term ‘intelligence quotient’ or IQ as a measure of intelligence. However, is it the best predictor of success especially as a leader? There is another level of intelligence that is viewed equally, if not more importantly, as a measure of potential leadership success and ultimately organisational performance…and that is emotional intelligence or EQ.

Emotional intelligence is our ability to identify and manage our own emotions as well as recognise that of others and groups. It requires effective communication between the rational and emotive centres of our brain – it represents the path between feeling and reason. The brain science surrounding EQ is quite powerful and compelling. As reported by Daniel Goleman in his book, “Primal Leadership, Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence”, the four skills that together make up Emotional Intelligence include; self awareness and self management, which are about personal competence; and social awareness and relationship management, which are about social competence. Goleman states “Gifted leadership occurs where heart and head – feeling and thought – meet.” Studies have found:

  • EQ is a required competency for effective leaders
  • EQ is the #1 predictor of professional success & personal excellence
  • EQ affects organisational profitability and performance

Our perceptions can differ from person to person and these perceptions influence our thoughts as well as impact our decisions. How aware are we of what we see, think and feel? Do we practice empathy to understand what others see, think and feel therefore identifying similarities as well as differences? Not only understanding but embracing these differences. Ultimately, how well do we see and understand the impact of our thoughts on others and take into consideration others thoughts and needs?

We all have beliefs, biases and assumptions that can interfere with our rational thinking at times and cause us to overreact to situations. How well do we know what they are and are we able to contain or manage them appropriately? In order to manage our emotions effectively, we have to identify them, be able to assess them accurately, understand the root cause, and ultimately control them appropriately.

Knowing what the triggers are that drive our emotions as well as understanding triggers of those around us can truly heighten our ability to communicate more effectively. Conflict is inevitable and actually a positive because it usually leads to progress when handled well. Being able to read the people dynamics, assess the needs involved and manage the situation effectively requires high EQ levels.

“A leader’s intelligence has to have a strong emotional component. He/she has to have high levels of self-awareness, maturity and self-control. He/she must be able to withstand the heat, handle setbacks and when those lucky moments arise, enjoy success with equal part of joy and humility. No doubt emotional intelligence is more rare than book smarts, but my experience says it is actually more important in the making of a leader. You just can’t ignore it.” ~Jack Welch, Former Chairman of General Electric speaking to WSJ Leadership begins and ends with inner strength requiring the ability to understand ourselves very well while consistently learning, growing and developing.

In addition to enhancing self awareness, strong leaders are adaptable to their surroundings, transparent, exhibit positive energy and practice emotional self-control. Effective leaders are empathetic, service-oriented and organizationally aware of their surroundings, reading people and cues well. Lastly, they are relationship builders, inspiring others, influencing effectively, coaches, people developers, team collaborators and able to manage conflict as well as change.

All of these are dimensions of emotional intelligence. There are a number of compelling findings included in Goleman’s book. According to the Center for Creative Leadership, the three most significant causes of career derailment for executives involve deficits in emotional competence:

  1. Difficulty handling change
  2. Inability to work well in a team; and
  3. Poor interpersonal relations.

According to Tony Simons, Harvard Business Review, the more associates feel trust in their bosses, an emotional response, the higher the profits for the organization. In one study, a 18 point improvement on a survey of employees’ perceptions of how much managers earned their confidence increased profitability by 2.5%.

That increase in profitability meant a quarter million dollar profit increase per business unit per year. The business case is strong for building emotionally intelligent leaders for positive impact on profitability and performance. Leaders are life-long learners always looking to further develop their knowledge and skills. In fact, there are a number of assessments that help us to determine our level of emotional intelligence allowing us to identify elements of strength as well as areas for improvement including the highly regarded BAR-ON EQ-i self assessment and 360 tool.

There are also several resources available on this topic including the book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves. Developing our EQ will be an on-going effort requiring us to push out of our comfort zone. Here are some tips to help build our EQ as we continue to build our leadership capabilities:

  • Learn what your triggers are and how they impact your emotions
  • Ask for feedback from others often and openly
  • Be an active listener, step back and look at things objectively
  • Practice deep breathing, relax body, keep a clear mind
  • Focus on other people’s perspectives and show interest in others
  • Take time to learn the norms of the organisational culture
  • Carefully read the dynamics of each situation, the people and your surroundings
  • Nurture relationships; acknowledge others’ needs and feelings
  • Manage expectations appropriately
  • Welcome the difficult conversations and give direct, constructive feedback

Building emotional intelligence is not only a strong predictor of effective leadership but can contribute to greater productivity, performance and ultimately profitability for all. What level of EQ do you and your leaders possess? Invest in developing your staff and your leadership potential at all levels of your organization. Remember, individuals do not have to be in a leadership role to be a leader. Unleash leadership skills in all!


I was fortunate enough to have started Tai Chi a moving meditation at a very early age. Practising Tai Chi for over 25 years has allowed me to build a solid foundation to support the most important aspect of EQ development, which is attention training.

If you are interested in supporting yourself or helping the teams you manage, the links below can help you learn more about EQ training.

  1. What is EQ?
  2. Emotional Intelligence Training Course
  3. Learn to meditate with the Just6 App
  4. Meditation and the Science
  5. 7 reasons that emotional intelligence is quickly becoming one of the top sought job skills
  6. The secret to a high salary Emotional intelligence
  7. How to bring mindfulness into your employee wellness program
  8. Google ’Search Inside Yourself’