Last week I was on a panel to discuss a play which I expected to be about emotional intelligence. However, to my delight, what I discovered was a play about emotional intelligence. Specifically, “Smart Love” at the Purple Rose Theatre is really a play about one of the most powerful human emotions: grief. Reflecting upon it, I began to wonder which would be more powerful in my lifetime: the emergence of emotional intelligence or that of artificial intelligence? After …
Can you remember a time when you were younger and wanted desperately to achieve something that was going to take considerable effort and where you were going to face considerable risk? Can you remember a time when you absolutely had to succeed at something or face dire consequences? I think of these times as “one shot moments.” These are the times in your life when you have an unique opportunity to succeed at something which matters deeply. These are …
Last Friday, on a frigid February morning, ninety Michigan leaders arrived at Zingerman’s Roadhouse to mingle and to learn. They were there to attend Rob Pasick’s Leaders Connect breakfast and listen to Ann Marie Sastry, President & Co-Founder of Sakti3, Inc. After a 17-year career, Sastry gave up her tenured professorship at the College of Engineering at University of Michigan to become CEO at Sakti3, which she had founded years earlier as a student laboratory project. In 2015, Sakti3, a …
I first wrote about emotional intelligence in my 1992 book for men, “Awakening from the Deep Sleep.” In my book I describe a man I had in therapy. Peter came at the suggestion of his wife who explained to me that Peter would never talk to her about his feelings. After working with Peter for a few months, he thanked me for helping him to improve his relationship with his wife. He said he had become much better at …
I grew up as an only child in one small house with both my parents and my grandparents. Grandpa Izzie and Grandma Mary died before I had a chance to ask them about their family stories and history. Too bad, because I believe in the power of families to influence our behavior over the generations, often without us being aware of the powerful force our ancestors carry upon us. With this in mind, recently I arranged a visit with my mother’s first …
Last Saturday I enjoyed presenting a talk on emotional intelligence to 150 employees at TLC Eyecare & Laser Centers, which has offices throughout Michigan and Ohio. Listening to these employees, I heard loudly and clearly how complicated their jobs are, and why emotional intelligence is crucial for their success in their managerial roles. They explained that their job requires them to manage relationships at multiple levels. On a weekly basis, they have to manage relationships with: The staff they are …