Rehumanising Work
Hi, Jeremy here! Welcome to another edition of my monthly digest. This goes out to over 40,000 leaders worldwide, connected by our shared passion for creating more emotionally aware leaders and teams.
This month, you'll discover:
- 1 ECD Activity: To experiment: Leading Self Activity for Emotional Leadership
- 2 pieces of content: To Inspire: The myth of AI emotion recognition: Science or sales pitch? & This is how to be less annoyed and annoying at work.
- 1 Book: To Discover Emotional
- ECDTV Episode: Power of Emotional Leadership | Interview with Jeremy Dean
Scroll down to discover more about rehumanising the places we work and live...
Latest From R&E
1 ECD Activity: To Experiment
Emotional Leadership–Leading-Self
Step 1: Gather Your Cards
Use The Emotional Culture Deck and separate the black and white feeling cards.
- Black cards represent the desired emotions you want to feel.
- White cards represent the undesired emotions you don’t want to feel
Step 2: Ask Yourself the Question
- What do I need to feel and not feel to be successful as a leader?
Step 3: Choose Your Cards
- Select 3 to 5 black cards that best describe the emotions you need to feel to be successful in your role.
- Select 3 to 5 white cards that represent the emotions you don’t want to feel but may experience from time to time. These emotions can act as warning signs or signals that something needs attention.
Step 4: Reflect and Share
- Write down or discuss why each emotion matters to your leadership. Think about how these feelings influence your leadership and decision-making and interactions with your people and teams.
Step 5: Set Intentions
- Identify small actions you can take to experience and express the emotions you want to feel more often.
- Consider how you will recognise and manage the emotions you don’t want to feel when they come up.
This activity is a simple way to build self-awareness and shape how you show up as a leader. Try it and see for yourself.
ECD Know Yourself Handbook
The Know Yourself Handbook is a core part of almost every one of our Emotional Culture Deck Toolkit. It helps people reflect on and choose the emotions they need to feel—and avoid, or manage, feeling—to be their best at work (and life). During 1:1s or workshops, people use it to identify and write down their key emotions and think about how those feelings affect their success and behaviour.
2 Pieces of Content:
To Inspire
Here are two pieces of content that I hope will help you see the world slightly differently and provoke you to do the work that matters to humanise the workplace.
Leading Self
This is how to be less annoyed and annoying at work
– Pinkcast Episode with Abbey Falik, CEO of Global Citizen Year
1 Book:
To Discover
Discover the books that inspire our work at R&E—covering emotions, leadership, change, and culture.
Emotional. The New Thinking About Feelings
by Leonard Mlodinow
We’re often told that success comes from thinking rationally, but new research shows that emotions are just as crucial. In this fascinating book, physicist and science writer Leonard Mlodinow explores how emotions shape our decisions, interactions, and lives—whether we realise it or not. Blending science, personal insights, and practical takeaways, this book offers a fresh perspective on the power of emotions in both work and life.
Something I've been pondering...
"Leadership isn’t about tasks and outcomes—it’s about relationships. That means it's about emotions. Because relationships are shaped by emotions. Leaders set the emotional tone for their teams, whether they realise it or not. Every decision they make, every interaction they have, and every behaviour they model creates an emotional ripple effect that impacts team morale, motivation, and performance. We call this Emotional leadership—the act of intentionally identifying and establishing the emotions—both in yourself and those you lead—that are needed for you and your team to thrive. Because if you’re not managing emotions, you’re not really leading."
Upcoming In-Person
ECD Specialist Courses delivered by ECD Certified Consultants
Explore all the upcoming in-person ECD Specialist Courses delivered by ECD Certified Consultants around the world. Find a course near you, meet the consultant leading it, and dive deeper into The Emotional Culture Deck.
Emotional Change Strategy Course – Feb 12, Worcester, UK
Emotional Leadership Development Course – Feb 26, Wellington, NZ
Emotional Change Strategy Course – Mar 19, Toronto, Canada
Emotional Change Strategy Course – Mar 11, Wellington, NZ
Emotional Leadership Development Course – Mar 27, Auckland, NZ
Learn more about out ECD Specialist Courses
ECDTV.
New ways. New ideas. New answers. New perspectives. Watch the latest ECDTV videos here...
I was invited to join Tash Pieterse on the Lead With Less podcast for a powerful conversation about emotional leadership and its role in workplaces. We explored how emotions drive connection, performance, and growth, the science of emotional contagion, and strategies for navigating challenging emotions.
What you might have missed...
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We hear you.
At riders&elephants we believe in people’s right to express themselves and to tap their emotions to challenge and shift behaviours. Our games help people speak their truth through simple, powerful words. It’s time to lay your cards on the table.
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