Unlocking EQ Series

How to Improve your Emotional Intelligence

Unlocking EQ Program Series on Emotional Intelligence

What is Emotional Intelligence? Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is the capacity to be aware of, control, and express one's emotions and handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically.


The skills of EQ are not locked away, accessible only to a select few who were born with natural abilities. EQ skills can be learned. In this series from Magic in the Room, Chris, Hannah, and Luke discuss 15 aspects of EQ that can help you be a more effective leader.


Listen to the entire EQ series here, or subscribe by searching for Magic in the Room in your favorite podcast player.

Magic in the Room #187: Wrapping Up Lead a Team

November 7, 2024
Today we wrap up season five of Magic in the Room! This season has focused on the skills that people need when leading a team. The good news is that these skills can be learned, if we are intentional. In this episode, Hannah, Chris, and Luke share their biggest takeaway from the season, and share some advice for every leader. 

Magic in the Room #186: Meaningful Recognition

By Sarah Whitfield • October 1, 2024
People who lead teams can (and should!) develop a new set of skills. One often overlooked skill is being about to intentionally recognize people's efforts and character in a way that is meaningful. This is a skill that can be learned, it just takes some effort. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Hannah, Chris, and Luke discuss various types of recognition, and how to incorporate it into your team.

Magic in the Room #185: Corrective Action

By Sarah Whitfield • September 5, 2024
What do we do when people's behavior or performance are not aligned with the values and commitments of an organization? Corrective action is one tool for helping team members know when they are not meeting expectations and what steps they need to take to perform at a high level. Corrective action may not be your favorite topic, but it is critical. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Hannah and Luke discuss the elements of good corrective action, and how to make it effective.

Magic in the Room #184: Feedback & Engagement

By Sarah Whitfield • August 12, 2024
Giving and receiving feedback is critical to individual and team success, yet for many people feedback can feel threatening or unwelcome. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Hannah, Luke, and Chris discuss how to give feedback that is helpful and leads to high performance.

Magic in the Room #183: Performance Development

By Sarah Whitfield • July 2, 2024
Every leader wants their team to perform at a high level, but this does not happen by accident. On today’s episode of Magic in the Room Hannah, Chris, and Luke talk about performance development, which includes one-on-ones, development plans, training, and anything you do to help people learn and grow.

Magic in the Room #182: Navigating Conflict

By Sarah Whitfield • June 4, 2024
In today’s Magic in the Room episode, Hannah, Luke, and Chris continue our series on the skills leaders need to build effective teams. Conflict is inevitable, so leaders must learn to navigate it effectively. The first step is to change how we think about conflict. Not all conflict is bad, and some types of conflict are helpful. We can build more effective teams if we learn to encourage helpful conflict and manage harmful conflict.

Magic in the Room #181: A New Approach to Gifting with guest John Ruhlin

By Sarah Whitfield • May 28, 2024
Gifts are often used to build relationships in business, whether with clients, customers, or employees. But what if we have been doing gifting all wrong? In today’s episode of Magic in the Room, Chris and guest John Ruhlin discuss a new way to think about gifting. The bottom line is that gifts can be used to build long-lasting relationships, but not if you just put the company logo on a mug and send it to everyone. Instead, you should intentionally make every gift focused on the receiver and create a lasting memory they will associate with you.

Magic in the Room #180: Effective Communication

By Sarah Whitfield • May 6, 2024
This week, on Magic in the Room, we discuss the next skill for leading teams: Effective communication. Often, leaders think they have communicated something by sending an email or mentioning it in a meeting, but the message has yet to be received. Join Hannah, Chris, and Luke as they discuss how leaders can turn data into wisdom and build shared understanding. To download the free guide that goes with this episode, subscribe below:

Magic in the Room #179: Commitments and Accountability

By Sarah Whitfield • April 2, 2024
Today, we continue our series on the skills needed to lead a team. We started with building trust in episode 178. In this Magic in the Room episode, Hannah, Chris, and Luke discuss a new skill: creating an environment of commitment and accountability. The core idea in this conversation is that people can only be accountable if they know what they are committed to. People can hold themselves accountable once we have a common understanding of commitments. To download the free guide that goes with this episode, subscribe below:

Magic in the Room #178: Building Trust

By Sarah Whitfield • March 5, 2024
In today's episode of Magic in the Room, we continue our series on leading a team with the foundational skill leaders must have: the ability to build trust. It may sound cliche, but trust is the foundation of a high-performing team. In fact, Luke and Hannah argue that dogs have better lives and fewer people die when teams have high trust! When teams don't have trust, the result is lower performance, lower well-being, and ultimately, people leave. If you focus on one thing as a leader, it should be building trust. In today's episode of Magic in the Room, we continue our series on leading a team with the foundational skill leaders must have: the ability to build trust. It may sound cliche, but trust is the foundation of a high-performing team. In fact, Luke and Hannah argue that dogs have better lives and fewer people die when teams have high trust! When teams don't have trust, the result is lower performance, lower well-being, and ultimately, people leave. If you focus on one thing as a leader, it should be building trust. To download the free guide that goes with this episode, subscribe below: 
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#59 EQ: Power of Persuasion

Leaders must influence people to change behavior, follow a vision, or accept new beliefs. In the final episode of our EQ series Hannah, Chris, and Luke discuss the power of persuasion. Influencing people through persuasion requires leaders to use story, logic, and emotion to inspire people to take action.
#57 EQ: Valuing Differences

The most effective teams have diverse viewpoints and experiences. However, leaders must intentionally create an environment that values those differences so minority viewpoints are heard. In this episode of Magic in the Room, Hannah, Chris, and Luke discuss the mindset and tactics needed to lead teams that value differences.
#53: Unlocking EQ – Showing Resilience

Resilience is the ability to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions. But what does it take to develop resilience? In this episode of Magic in the Room, Luke, Hannah, and Chris discuss the need for hope, purpose, grit, reflection, and self-care in developing resilience. People with resilience make a bigger impact on the world and attract people to their cause.
#50: Unlocking EQ: Collaboration

When we create an environment of trust and shared purpose, collaboration is possible, but it is not always easy. In this episode, Hannah, Chris, and Luke share tactics to ensure collaboration. If we’re going to be transformational and not transactional leaders, being able to collaborate with our team will play a crucial role. But Chris asks Hannah and Luke, why is it important? Luke shares how as individuals, we are really constrained with the experiences we have in life up to that point. We’re also constrained with the strengths and weaknesses that we have as an individual.
#47: Unlocking EQ – Decisions

One single decision can have enormous consequences for our lives. Every decision we make is influenced by many factors and can have ripple effects for us and the people we lead. In this episode, Luke, Chris, and Hannah discuss what happens in the brain when we make certain decisions and share tactics to make quality decisions.
#40: Unlocking EQ – Foundations of Emotional Intelligence

Luke, Chris, and Hannah explore the impact of emotion on our behavior and performance and why emotional intelligence matters for leaders.
#38: Unlocking EQ – Learning Nimbly With Special Guest Ben West

The ability to be a nimble learner is a direct result of a growth mindset. In a world where the only constant is change, and the pace of that change continues to increase, being able to adapt, learn, and grow has become one of the most important keys to success. In this episode, Luke and Hannah explore how to learn quickly and nimbly with P&PG team member Ben West.
#33 – Unlocking EQ: Navigating Ambiguity

Our brains desire certainty and are wired to anticipate what will happen next. When what happens next is unclear, we process the event as a threat. High-performing leaders are comfortable with the unknown and commit to processes that clarify objectives and the roles required to meet them. This develops patterns of predictability and rewarding outcomes. In this episode, Chris, Luke, and Hannah discuss strategies for navigating ambiguity and moving forward in the face of uncertainty.
#31- Unlocking EQ: Driving Engagement

When people are engaged, they do their best work. They are more productive because they feel energized, focused, and aligned to the purpose of the organization. Team members stick around longer because they feel challenged yet supported, appreciated, and valued by their team. In this episode, Luke, Chris, and Hannah explore what it takes to create an environment that fosters engagement and high performance.
#26 – Unlocking EQ: Defaulting to Action (Part 2)

In Part 1 of this conversation about action orientation, Luke, Chris, and Hannah each shared examples from their lives when they activated a specific initiative and its impact. In Part 2 of this discussion, your hosts share the benefits of being action-oriented, and specific tactics to ensure action default.
#25: Unlocking EQ: Defaulting to Action (Part 1)

In Part 1 of this conversation about action orientation, Luke, Chris, and Hannah each share examples from their lives when they activated a specific initiative and its impact.
#23: Unlocking EQ: Showing Courage

Trust takes courage. Accountability takes courage. Leadership, by its very nature, is a courageous act. In this episode, Chris, Hannah, and Luke share personal examples of courageous moments, and discuss what it means to have the courage to step.
#19: Unlocking EQ - Instilling Trust

Trust is fundamental to every human relationship. It is our first discovery along the EQ spectrum because it is the most important element of high-performance teams and effective organizations. In this episode, Chris, Luke, and Hannah explore what trust is and how it shows up and provide specific tactics for how to instill trust with those we lead.
#17: Unlocking EQ - Communicating Effectively

One critical discovery along the EQ spectrum is unlocking our ability to communicate effectively. In this episode, you will learn important communication strategies and three areas of mastery for effective communicators.

Unlocking EQ Blogs

Search for an episode by topic or specific podcast episode number below!

Showing Resilience

By Stephanie Licata • September 4, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is showing resilience. Daniel Goleman, considered one of the pioneers of Emotional Intelligence, shared in an interview about the powerful connection between resilience and EQ.  “Daniel Goleman provides a new perspective, however, on how emotional intelligence can be a... The post Showing Resilience appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Learning Nimbly

By Hannah Bratterud • July 31, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is Learning Nimbly. The ability to be a nimble learner is a direct result of a growth mindset. In a world where the only constant is change, and the pace of that change continues to increase, being able to... The post Learning Nimbly appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Navigating Ambiguity

By Chris Province • July 13, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is navigating ambiguity. Communications of intent (plans, aims, objectives) are often inexact and require significant processing and inquiry to establish adequate clarity. Our brains desire certainty and are wired to anticipate what will happen next. When what happens... The post Navigating Ambiguity appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Balancing Stakeholders

By Bob Schooley, EdD • July 3, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is balancing stakeholders. Transformational change often requires a coalition of stakeholders that are united by a common good or shared purpose.  Forming and sustaining an effective coalition requires a courageous leader capable of earning the trust and respect... The post Balancing Stakeholders appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Driving Engagement

By Hannah Bratterud • June 27, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is driving engagement. When we actively seek to build engagement, and we do so in a way that helps people connect to the shared purpose of the project, team and organization, we create a climate where people are... The post Driving Engagement appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Valuing Differences

By Luke Freeman • June 12, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is valuing differences. This discovery is a differentiator for high-performing teams. When we join a team, project, or relationship we bring our unique life experiences, culture, and thinking style into the room with us. Mature leaders recognize the fact that their perspective is shaped by these differences, and value the different perspectives, insights, and approaches brought by team members from different journeys. Great leaders identify and amplify differing perspectives to enable teams to discover the best path forward. The post Valuing Differences appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Defaulting to Action

By Chris Province • June 5, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is defaulting to action.  Being action oriented should be considered “table stakes” for courageous leaders.  It’s the required habit of leaders who establish legitimacy for themselves by showing up every day to DO IT!  The post Defaulting to Action appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Communicating Effectively

By Luke Freeman • May 29, 2020
Our next discovery along the EQ spectrum is communicating effectively. Effective communicators use language and imagery to build shared consciousness with their audience. Whether in a one-on-one, team, or organization-wide setting, connecting to others through communication allows a leader to facilitate the adoption of new ideas or clarify shared values to enable extraordinary performance. The post Communicating Effectively appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Showing Courage

By Hannah Bratterud • May 22, 2020
The third discovery along the EQ spectrum is showing courage. Trust takes courage. Accountability takes courage. Leadership, by its very nature, is a courageous act. Courage is not the absence of fear, it is feeling the fear and doing it anyway. It is not being comfortable, it is stepping beyond the comfort zone and into the growth zone. “You can choose courage, or you can choose comfort, but you cannot choose both.” ― Brené Brown The post Showing Courage appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.

Instilling Trust

By Chris Province • May 8, 2020
Our initial discovery along the spectrum of Emotional Intelligence for high-performance consultants is the ability to instill trust. Trust is fundamental to our human condition, as it serves as the foundation from which every relationship develops. Our ability to build and maintain trust is THE... The post Instilling Trust appeared first on Purpose and Performance Group.
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