As leaders, we’re expected to influence how people think, behave, and perform. Yet, how often do we stop to consider how they feel?

Emotions aren’t just “soft skills.” They’re the foundation of every decision, interaction, and action people take. If we’re not addressing how people feel—or how they should feel—we’re missing the biggest lever for creating meaningful change and sustainable performance.

This gap is even more apparent in the tension between what leaders and teams expect from each other. For many managers, offering emotional support can feel like going above and beyond their job. But for employees, it’s simply what good leadership looks like. It’s not a bonus—it’s an expectation.

This disconnect matters. Managers often feel unseen for the emotional care they give, while employees assume it’s part of the role. The result? Frustration and missed opportunities for deeper trust and collaboration.

So, how do we close this gap?

By shifting how we think about leadership. Leade...

Change is an inevitable part of life, and as leaders, coaches, and team members, it’s something we encounter constantly. But here’s the thing: change is more than a series of steps or strategies—it’s deeply emotional. It’s the heart, not just the mind, that embraces, accepts, drives, or gets in the way of change.

While traditional change models are important, they often overlook the most crucial element: the emotions of the people experiencing the change. And here’s where our philosophy comes in.

At R&E, we believe that emotions drive behaviour. They are the enablers—or barriers—to change. If we don’t understand and address the emotional journey of ourselves and our people, the change we want to see simply won’t happen.

So, how do we lead people through the emotional side of change? This is where The Emotional Culture Deck comes in. The ECD gives you a simple yet powerful toolkit to help leaders, teams, and coaches recognise and shape emotions through change.

What Is Emotional Ch...

We’re thrilled to announce the launch of our ECD Emotional Change Strategy Course, the first of three brand new, next-generation ECD Specialist Courses set to be released over the next nine months. This course marks a new chapter in emotional culture design, offering a completely new approach to helping leaders and teams manage change by recognising and shaping the emotions at play – for themselves and the people they serve.

Why Emotional Change Strategy?

Change is inevitable in every organisation, but how we manage the emotional impact of change can make all the difference. Whether it’s a shift in leadership, restructuring, or navigating an evolving marketplace, the way people feel about change has a direct impact on its success. The ECD Emotional Change Strategy Course equips leaders with the tools and insights they need to guide their teams through the emotional landscape of change, ensuring that transitions are not only smoother but more meaningful.

Harnessing Collective Emotion...

When Chelsea Lang, Head of HR for Sanitarium’s Supply Chain, joined the company two and a half years ago, she faced a unique challenge. Sanitarium, known for its household brands like Weet-Bix and Up & Go, was undergoing unprecedented growth after 25 years of stability. This growth led to rapid changes—new product lines, a new distribution centre, and the recruitment of over 350 new employees, including 50 new leaders.

In the midst of this transformation, Chelsea turned to The Emotional Culture Deck to guide Sanitarium’s leaders and teams through the complex changes. Her approach was simple yet powerful: harness the emotional side of leadership to drive success. Chelsea focused on helping leaders move beyond the traditional “tell, tell, tell” approach and encouraged them to ask questions, listen actively, and coach their teams with empathy.

Since then, Chelsea has integrated The ECD into Sanitarium’s leadership and culture strategy, impacting more than 300 employees across seven fact...

By Jeremy Dean, R&E Founder & Master Game Maker

In today’s complex and ever-changing business and social environment, emotions have an undeniable impact on performance, leadership, and culture. Understanding and harnessing this emotional aspect of business and relationships is essential for organisations looking to thrive. That’s why we’re excited to introduce our Emotional Culture Quadrant (ECQ) model – a comprehensive framework designed to help leaders cultivate a thriving emotional culture across all levels of their organisation.

The ECQ model breaks down into four key areas:

1. Emotional Culture Crafting – Defining how your people feel (or should be feeling) at work to intentionally manage & influence the emotional culture that drives engagement, teamwork and connection.
2. Emotional Leadership Development – Developing leaders who can effectively build & establish the emotions needed to drive performance and foster strong, connected teams.
3. Emotional Change Strategy – Navigating ch
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How your people feel directly impacts your customers’ experience. Your customers and stakeholders experience emotions through their interactions with you. If you’re not deliberate and strategic about the emotions you want to foster and intentional about managing and addressing the undesired emotions within your team, your stakeholders will inevitably feel the effects.

So yesterday in Wellington, we explored how we create these conversations, plans and strategies! We had the incredible privilege of hosting our first-ever ECD Emotional Stakeholder Engagement Course. I want to take a moment to celebrate these amazing, curious, and daring early adopters who took the leap and became the world’s first ECD Stakeholder Practitioners! 

This group embodies the spirit of curiosity and courage in our community, diving into new ways of thinking about stakeholder and customer relationships and how emotions play a crucial role in shaping them. They are pioneers, leading the way in rehumanising the ...

Emotional Performance is Peak Performance. Engaging with the people you serve and creating human-centred partnerships is essential for any organisation. Organisations and individuals who effectively harness, shape, and manage their emotion strategies at four levels achieve a significant advantage.

When emotional culture is intentionally managed, it drives satisfaction, motivation, connection, and teamwork. Leaders who grasp the essence of emotional leadership can positively influence emotional support, foster constructive dialogue, and enhance engagement. Organisations that are deliberate in defining their emotional change strategies see improvements in emotional support and well-being throughout periods of change. And those that create an emotional stakeholder strategy develop emotional connections with the people they serve.

Emotional performance is about mastering these four domains and leveraging them to lift performance at individual, team, and organisational levels. It recognis...

Unlock the Power of Emotional Engagement: Announcing Our New ECD Course!

At riders&elephants, we’re thrilled to introduce our latest offering, the ECD Emotional Stakeholder Engagement Course. This groundbreaking course is designed to equip you with the knowledge to design emotion-led stakeholder engagement strategies and create experiences and relationships that drive organisational success.

Why Emotional Stakeholder Engagement Matters

Experiences are memorable when they spark an emotional reaction. What do customers feel when they engage with us? How does that come to life in every touchpoint? What is your emotional stakeholder strategy? These questions are either overlooked or never asked when we think about our stakeholder relationships. Understanding and managing emotions can lead to stronger relationships, greater trust, and enhanced collaboration.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is ideal for:

• Leaders and Managers: Looking to enhance their emotional intelligence and stake
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