By: Joshua Finley 

Aspiring leaders need experience and qualifications, but truly inspiring and effective leaders know that emotional intelligence (also known as ‘EQ’) is one of the keys to success. EQ empowers leaders to coach teams, manage stress, provide constructive feedback, and collaborate well. The demand for EQ is high, with 71% of employers prioritizing it over technical skills. 

Leaders who demonstrate EQ create trust, enhance team communication, and improve decision-making. According to The Journal of Organizational Behavior, high-trust environments can boost team performance by 20%. Furthermore, the Society of Human Resource Management found that leaders with empathy and EQ increase employee retention by 67%, creating a supportive culture that drives productivity and collaboration. 

Colorado-based Transformative EQ Strategist, mentor, coach and keynote speaker, Jenelle Friday, Founder of LionHeartCS believes that emotional intelligence, underpinned by empathy is a critical differentiator in determining success. 

“A leader with high emotional intelligence can manage their emotions effectively, avoiding clouded judgment. They also empathize with others, creating a collaborative and positive work environment where everyone can thrive. The modern business environment rewards leadership that prioritizes EQ, not least by allowing an organization a significant competitive advantage,” says Friday.

EQ and ROI

Jenelle Friday’s focus on the advantages of leadership driven by emotional intelligence is borne out by the often-quoted example of Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft. His approach to leadership is grounded in EQ, with a strong emphasis on empathy, building relationships and developing a collaborative,  growth-oriented company culture. Microsoft has experienced a profound transformation, with its share price growing an impressive 969% since Nadella took over in 2014.  

According to Friday, emotional intelligence has vast transformative potential. Her mentoring and coaching approach provides leaders and professionals with an EQ toolset that enhances their personal lives and positively impacts team performance.  

Says Friday, “Growth is both my passion and my mission. My goal is to help people develop lasting emotional intelligence, moving beyond short-term results to impact their entire lives. I believe in a practical approach: providing tools that drive real, visible change in communication, connection, and leadership. When leaders build genuine relationships based on active listening, it inevitably elevates team performance.” 

Team managers frequently make mistakes that stem from assumptions and preconceived notions. Many team members come to conversations expecting their managers to possess emotional intelligence skills like active listening and open-mindedness. However, managers often bring their biases into discussions, preventing them from fully understanding their team member’s perspectives and needs. This gap can create a disconnect, as employees may feel unheard or undervalued due to these unspoken biases. 

“When leaders are not self-aware and have not prioritized active listening or an empathetic approach, they unintentionally apply personal filters to conversations without taking context into account,” explains Friday.  

Friday echoes the findings of numerous studies revealing that a manager’s past experiences or ingrained beliefs can cloud their judgment, causing them to react defensively to differing viewpoints. By recognizing and managing these filters, managers can create a more open and secure environment, allowing them to listen actively and encourage diverse perspectives without feeling threatened. 

Friday points out that another common leadership pitfall is failing to understand employees’ unique communication, recognition, and reward preferences. Managers often use generic approaches to motivation, such as offering blanket rewards like extra time off, which may not resonate with every team member. While a day off might excite some employees, others might prefer acknowledgment or growth opportunities. Ignoring these nuances can hinder motivation and engagement, underscoring the importance of tailoring incentives to individual needs.

According to Friday, “Great leaders listen and recognize that individual team members have unique perspectives and concerns. Paying careful attention and making two-way communication a priority can increase loyalty, reduce staff turnover, and help team members focus on performance. The challenge is how to develop EQ skills in management, which is why we’ve developed our 12-week Bootcamp program.” 

The Bootcamp Approach

Friday’s Bootcamp is a digital program that offers tactical emotional intelligence education and application. It provides focused learning and promotes innovation by taking leaders out of their usual environment, reducing daily distractions, and allowing dedicated time to build critical skills. This immersive experience equips leadership with the skills to optimize open communication, foster creativity, and reframe training approaches to encourage team alignment with company values and goals while promoting engagement and loyalty.  

Jenelle Friday has seen the positive results of the Bootcamp approach “As we’ve seen time and again, exposure to new perspectives and intensive collaboration often leads to breakthroughs in problem-solving and strategy. 

Each week, Jenelle Friday’s program begins with a video lesson on a core emotional intelligence concept like self-awareness. After watching, participants complete a reflective homework assignment that encourages personal introspection. Following the weekend, two live sessions are held with Jenelle and guest speakers, who share personal experiences relevant to the week’s topic. Participants conclude each module by completing a survey to assess understanding and application, after which the next week’s lesson begins. This structured approach combines learning, personal reflection, and real-world insights for a comprehensive EQ development experience. 

Emotional intelligence is becoming even more important due to changes in the work environment according to Friday, “the current trend towards remote work has freed people up to manage the time they spend on achieving the goals that they have been set, however, it’s also had its downsides for management. It’s becoming more and more apparent that emotional intelligence is key to upping team performance, especially in a remote work environment.” 

Friday believes that the key to harnessing the power of EQ is in structured person-to-person interaction, led by facilitators with the experience to tailor their advice to the unique requirements of the organization.

“I thrive on seeing real results. I’m not about fluff, at LionHeartCS we focus on giving people practical tools they can use immediately to see real transformation in how they communicate, connect, and lead,” concludes Friday. 

For more information on the value of emotional intelligence and how leaders can leverage EQ skills, visit Jenelle Friday’s LinkedIn page. 

Published by: Holy Minoza