323. Joshua Freedman. State of the Heart.
Joshua Freedman
July 18, 2024
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Emotional intelligence (EI) is crucial in our personal and professional lives. In this interview, Joshua Freedman, a bestselling author, master certified coach, and co-founder and CEO of Six Seconds, shares the findings of their 2024 State of the Heart Report. This global study on emotional intelligence provides insightful data and trends relevant to individuals and organizations alike. By understanding, developing, and applying emotional intelligence skills, individuals and organizations can navigate the challenges of an emotional recession and work towards a more resilient and connected future.
Items discussed include:
Benefits of Developing Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence strongly correlates with outcomes like effectiveness, mental and physical well-being, professional and personal relationships, and overall quality of life.
Improving emotional intelligence can lead to significant improvements in these areas.
Learnability and Durability of Emotional Intelligence
Emotional intelligence is highly learnable and can be improved with training and coaching.
Small investments in training can yield 10-20% improvements in emotional intelligence, leading to substantial benefits.
Current State of Emotional Intelligence: An Emotional Recession
The report reveals a steady decline in emotional intelligence across almost all demographics and competencies over the past four years.
Significant drops in well-being and increased burnout, especially among younger generations, indicate an emotional recession.
Variations in Emotional Intelligence by Demographics
Emotional intelligence varies by region, gender, and demographic.
Women are showing more resilience and improvement in emotional intelligence post-pandemic, while men are struggling more.
Gen Z is experiencing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and burnout compared to other generations.
Organizational Strategies to Address Burnout
Managers should develop their own emotional intelligence skills to better support their teams.
Focusing on both well-being and performance can create a more effective and supportive work environment.
Practical steps include genuinely asking about team members' feelings, listening without the need to fix their emotions, and offering support.
Individual Actions to Improve Emotional Intelligence
Naming and sharing emotions can transform feelings and improve well-being.
Creating authentic connections and engaging with one's own emotions can lead to personal and collective benefits.
Download the 2024 State of the Heart report here.
Joshua Freedman is one of the world's top experts on using emotional intelligence to improve performance. He’s the co-founder and CEO of Six Seconds, the global non-profit dedicated to teaching people how to use emotional intelligence (EQ). He owns the EQ Network group on LinkedIN with over 150k active members, and is a master certified coach. Josh is an instructor for Columbia Teachers College Summer Principals Academy, and for Antioch University’s doctorate in Education & Social Emotional Learning, and teaches professionals all around the world practical tools to measure and create value with emotional intelligence.
Joshua leads the world’s largest study of emotional intelligence, with breaking research dropping later this year. 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, Qatar Airways, the US Navy, P&G, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, HSBC, and the United Nations, use emotional intelligence to get better results. His work leads to a people-centered culture that strengthens leadership, sales, employee wellbeing, retention and innovation.
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Joshua Freedman
Six Seconds