Jen Shirkani

Successful managers and leaders leverage the power of EQ (emotional intelligence) to engage and motivate their employees and associates. Leaders with high EQ can communicate with others effectively, provide balanced feedback, lead others through ambiguity, use humor to build rapport, read and respond to the leadership needs of others and remain optimistic even in the face of difficulty. These leaders can emotionally and mentally plug into others and can read the situation at hand and behave accordingly to get the best results for everyone. Studies show a direct correlation between high EQ and successful leadership. But managers can also fall into particular pitfalls that hurt their credibility and hard won success, impeding their ability to use the EQ they have. This presentation provides strategies for building a strong case for the importance of both IQ and EQ. Audience members will leave with practical examples and new skills as they learn about the unique leadership traps that can trip up even the most successful leaders, and the ways to avoid them. Jen explains why EQ is particularly hard to maintain at management levels of the company, shares the most common ego traps and how to avoid them to increase leadership effectiveness.