EQ Summit (The leader's mind and its potential)

I attended the EQ summit in London last week and these are just my notes for future reference with links to other blogs/YouTube clips, and other references relating to the content and speakers.

I share it here for ease, and in case anyone else is interested too.

Although please note this is the conference seen through my filters - others attending may have taken something totally different away from the sessions.

So why all the fuss about EQ?

Leaders with EQ:

• Bring out the best in others
• Super charge the capability in the organisation and unlock 'discretionary' effort
• Go with the human grain not against it
• Have people working for them who are 3 times as likely to stay
• Achieve extraordinary things as a result

The main sponsors/organisers and joint developers of the emotional capital report (ECR)

• Roche Martin
• Sheffield Hallam University
• Sheffield Business School

10 elements of the emotional capital report, and therefore the building blocks of EQ are:

• Self reliance
• Straightforwardness 
• Optimism 
• Self actualisation
• Self confidence
• Self knowing
• Relationship skills
• Adaptability
• Self Control
• Empathy

With excellent graphic facilitation from @simonheath1 - whose website can be found here and also wrote a pre summit summary of who would be talking, and did a great job of selling the event (Simon was the only reason I found out about the event).

The Speakers

Welcome - Amy Bernstein - editor at HBR

• "We can do a lot of things but we can't ignore people"
• "EQ is a major determinator on professional success" (What makes a leader - HBR article by Dan Goleman)
• "Mood is contagious and leaders set the tone"
• "Corporations newest productivity hack - meditation"

Emotional Capital - the asset on the balance sheet you can't afford to ignore - Dr Martyn Newman - author and MD at RocheMartin

• A great summary of a similar talk by Martyn, and a wonderfully animated video too, Emotional Capitalist - the new leaders.
• Emotional Capitalists - the ultimate guide to developing emotional intelligence for leaders - Martyn's book on the subject
• "We are profoundly connected to others and influenced by them"
• He told a great story about Apple's business success over Sony - due to Apple's ability to collaborate and work together, and Sony's lack of emotional capital. Something I'm sure Sony regret to this day. 
• Firms of endearment - a book on how world class companies profit from passion and purpose
• Understanding values of ourselves and others is key (ie our motivators)
• "What ever you find (when you look at yourself) you have to like"

"What lies before us and what lies behind us 
are but small matter compared to what lies within us. 
And when we bring what is within us into the world, 
miracles happen!" Henry David Thoreau

Better self, better leadership, better business
Jeremy Darroch - Sky CEO

• "EQ potential super charges the capability we have and unlocks 'discretionary' effort"
• CIPD article from the session - Empathy is the top leadership skill says SKY CEO 
• "EQ delivers a high performing environment - rejects complacency and embraces the new"

Grant Thornton - leadership EQ's impact on revenue
Breakout with Anne Blackie and Jenny Kidby

Programme to introduce EQ across the business to move from technical experts offering solutions (often short term) to transformational leaders co-creating solutions (longer term too).

That is put the expert's ego to one side and bring our wholeness to work (the emotional and real person).

• Leaders, drop your masks - HBR article by Peter Fuda
• "Now in zone of affection with clients"
• "Purpose not £"

Motivation, performance and purpose
Dan Pink - author

• "Reward of carrot and/or stick is outdated for the 21st century"
• "3 main motivators - autonomy, mastery and purpose"
• "Mastery - making progress in meaningful work" 
• "Purpose - Making a contribution or difference"
• "When asked 'tell me about your best boss' you never hear 'pathologically controlling' in the answer"
• HBR article on purpose/how/why - trying to find what my notes meant on this - will come back when I know more, and if you can shed any light I'd much appreciate comments below - thank you
• "Aim to tell people 2 less 'how's and 2 more 'why's" (links to the last comment)
• "The profit motive can be an engine for good"
• "You can go against the human grain, or with it"
• Dan Pink's talk has been animated by RSA see 'Drive - the surprising truth about what motivates us', also his book on the same subject and HBR article.
• Sukh Pabial's blog on the talk - Motivation, Dan Pink and EQ

Mindfulness for leaders
B Alan Wallace

Those that know me would expect me to already be into mindfulness and meditation. It's certainly the language I'm comfortable with. After all I've seen the Dalai Lama speak, and I even have the headspace app on my phone (even if I've hardly used it). 

However this is the first time I have EVER understood the benefit of mindfulness practices!  

The premise is - mindfulness helps focus attention at the same time as retaining a sense of ease. Which means after achieving this state of mindfulness we don't get stressed or strained when we do what we do afterwards. How wonderful is that!!

Or put another way - all our busyness, over attention or even boredom will stress our mind and body and therefore mean we're less effective - its also unsustainable for any period.

• "Don't manage people attend to them" - I also wonder about how to apply that to procurement ... would "Don't manage suppliers attend to them" work??.
• Alan's Cultivating mental and emotional balance talk at Mind and it's potential conference
• Phil Willcox's blog on Alan's talk - Head hurting and awesome all in one 

The alchemy of empathy - transforming stress into meaning
Eve Ekman

• "There's a correlation between a lack of feeling of emotion in our body and lack of empathy with others"
• "It's about emotional regulation"
• Here's a video of a similar talk by Eve at the Mind and it's potential conference - cultivating emotional balance at work

Why the future begins - using EQ to optimise the future
Magnus Lindkvist

Sorry the last train north (and yes I mean very much north of Watford) was calling so I didn't hear Magnus speak. Tweets suggested he finished the day very humorously but I couldn't find any blogs or vlogs to link to - any suggestions most welcome.


As I made links to the content and my own passions I tweeted links to a few of my blogs:

• If you want to walk in other people's shoes you need to take yours off first
• Understanding your own values - ie what motivates you 
• Understanding other people's values
• Is there room for kindness in business?
• My response to "but I don't do soft fluffy stuff"

Hope you found this helpful - I know I'll be back when I'm trying to recall what someone said, or to find that YouTube vlog.

Alison

Alison Smith
Inspiring change inside and out

I  did suggest on twitter half way through the session that this collage depicts life without EQ - ie without our humanness!