In a recent Forbes piece, leadership expert Kevin Kruse described a familiar scene: most leaders insist they understand emotional intelligence (EQ), yet when asked to name its four core skills, the room falls silent. Gary Dawson, Director of Learning and Development at the Employers Association of the North East (EANE), who trains leaders across nearly 1,000 organisations, confirms the gap is widespread- even among seasoned executives. Too often, organisations leap straight into conflict management, accountability conversations, or communication workshops without first building the EQ foundation those skills depend on. The result is predictable: the advanced techniques never land with the intended impact.
This matters because the four core EQ skills-self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management-form the bedrock of effective leadership. As Harvard Business School research underscores, these competencies enable leaders to recognise and regulate their own emotions while accurately reading and influencing others. The payoff is tangible:...
