#147 - Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Skill No One Taught You with Eric Herdman

When you're exhausted, frustrated, or under pressure, how do you keep your reaction from making a difficult situation even harder? That question comes up every day at work. Whether you're receiving difficult feedback, navigating conflict, or managing a stressed team, emotional intelligence plays a role in what happens next.   As an organizational development expert, Eric Herdman helps leaders strengthen communication, resilience, relationships, and team culture. After decades of ultra-endurance competition, Eric discovered that managing yourself through the physical and mental highs and lows of a race has a lot in common with staying effective when things get uncomfortable at work. He brings a practical perspective to why emotional intelligence is about more than being "nice" - it's about becoming aware of what's happening within ourselves and choosing how we respond.   On this episode of The Workplace Communication Podcast, we're talking with Eric Herdman, Organizational Development Expert at Eric Herdman, LLC, about what emotional intelligence really looks like in everyday leadership. You'll learn how self-awareness, emotional regulation, and awareness of others can shape communication, trust, relationships, and team performance. Eric also explains why emotional intelligence isn't fixed, and how leaders can strengthen it through awareness, feedback, and practice.    **Leadership tips you won't want to miss:**  🎙️ Recognizing what's happening within you before responding under pressure 🎙️ Creating space between an emotional trigger and your reaction 🎙️ Noticing the difference between your intentions and your impact on others 🎙️ Seeking feedback to uncover blind spots and strengthen self-awareness 🎙️ Practicing emotional intelligence as a skill that can grow over time   Eric Herdman is an organizational development expert and entrepreneur who delivers instructional workshops focused on leadership skills, communication, resilience, relationships, and team culture. He has worked with businesses, associations, and organizations for more than three decades, both in person and virtually. Outside of his professional work, Eric spent more than 38 years competing as an ultra-endurance athlete, completing 103 triathlons, 6 marathons, and 35 ultra-marathons. He has also held course records in several endurance events and completed 24-hour races, including the Ultimate Treadmill Challenge.   If you're looking to strengthen your emotional intelligence and respond more effectively under pressure, then this episode is for you!   If you've enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe and leave a review.     🎧 Listen to the episode here: https://lindsaylapaquette.com/podcast/    For a full written transcript of the episode, please see the show notes at the link above.    **Guest's contact information:** Website LinkedIn  YouTube  Facebook  Instagram    **Lindsay's contact information:** To book a discovery call  [E-mail](mailto:lindsay@collaborative-solutions.ca) Website Free e-course: Free Yourself from Workplace Confrontation and Conflict LinkedIn  Previous podcast episodes