This Is the Work: Leading With EQ, Curiosity, and Real Listening

One of my favorite leadership podcasts is HBR on Leadership. On a recent episode, “When Leading a Global Team, Don’t Leave Connection to Chance,” featuring Harvard Business School professor Tsedal Neeley, I was reminded of and inspired by her ideas to improve work relationships and work results. 

Her core message lands for every team, not just global ones:

Show up ready to learn and teach about where you are, how you work, and how you see the world.Keep communicating about the basics of your relationships and the social dynamics between you.

This is emotional intelligence (EQ) in action. Leaders cannot phone this in. It is the work.

I loved her idea of “structuring unstructured time” in virtual meetings. Six to eight minutes for real human check ins can feel inefficient. Yet the data is clear: teams that do this have stronger relationships and better performance.

This is the heart leadership I talk about in coaching:

Make space for spontaneous connection.Ask more questions than you answer.Listen longer than feels comfortable.

One line I keep replaying: inquiry, advocacy, and listening are all important, and listening more than talking is even more important if you want productivity in complex, cross cultural teams.

Powerful coaching questions to sit with:

Where do you need to slow down and re explain “how we work together” with your team?How often are you truly listening, not just waiting to respond?

Action question:

What do you want to do differently - on your next virtual team call - to build connection and communication?

#executivecoach #leadershipcoaching #humanleadership