Joshua Freedman is the co-founder and CEO of Six Seconds, a global non-profit dedicated to teaching people how to use emotional intelligence (EQ). He is a master certified coach and an instructor for Columbia Teachers College Summer Principals Academy and Antioch University. He is also the author of 5 emotional intelligence books, including the best-selling At the Heart of Leadership: How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. He has helped hundreds of organizations, including FedEx, the US Navy, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, and the United Nations, use emotional intelligence to get better results.

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Show Notes

• “Emotional Intelligence is about getting this emotional data and using it to effectively solve problems.” [9:56] What is emotional intelligence? What is it not? EQ expert Josh Freedman dispels the myths and explains how emotional intelligence is more than just being nice and positive. There is not one single way to be emotionally intelligent; there are many ways to find resolutions—confronting, ignoring, and working through—all of which are unique to the problem and other emotional factors. 
• “When people feel more anxious and isolated, they move into more primal reactions…  This kind of tribalism is part of what we’re seeing in polarization, not just in the US but all over the world.” [20:22] Josh comments on the problems and difficulties caused by these tribal reactions, as seen in the decline of EQ in the last two years. It’s hard to love, to lead, to collaborate…  Making the presence of EQ more valuable and important than ever before. 
• “I’m not saying change who you are; I’m saying use who you are and use it better to get the results you’re really looking for. Not just short term wins.” [27:28] We all have the ability to learn and grow.  It may take time and be a big shift, but Josh says it is possible with work. And as Marcel says, you need to exercise those emotional muscles to create new synapses and increase emotional intelligence.
• “[As leaders, we need to think], let me understand what’s going on for this person or this group of people and figure out what’s going on and how we can overcome that so we can work together and get results.” [35:14] There is no denying that there is a great generational difference in EQ. Josh dives into the research of State of the Heart, where he explains that post-pandemic, the younger generations, Gen Z and Millennials experience the greatest loss in connection. This creates a big emotional barrier at work, especially when generations come into the same place of work on different playing fields.
• “EQ values have to become part of the DNA of how you work.” [38:22] Okay, leaders, you’re all in and ready to invest in the EQ of your organization… Josh tells you what not to do, slap a training on the sign or haphazardly invest in an external coach. While coaching and training are important, Josh and Marcel agree that the values and actions of emotional intelligence must be reinforced and become ingrained in the organization.
• “That little pivot from I to WE (I’m seeing this; how can WE work on it?) will totally shift your conversations around performance and motivation.” [42:16] Josh has a practical tip for leaders on employee motivation. You don’t have to sacrifice performance for EQ; instead, you will find greater performance. The key is to think….are we leading tasks or are we leading people?

Mentioned in this episode:

• State of the Heart EQ Research
• Six Seconds
• Six Seconds on LinkedIn
• Six Seconds on Instagram
• Six Seconds on Twitter
• Six Seconds on Facebook
• Marcel Schwantes

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