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: Team Emotion Map
- 2 Pieces of Content | To Inspire: The Future of Leadership: Scaling Empathy & 6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing
- 1 Book | To Discover: Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet
- ECDTV Episode: Emotional Leadership Back Story
Scroll down to discover more about rehumanising the places we work and live...
Latest From R&E
1 ECD Activity: To Experiment
Emotional Culture – Team Emotion Map Activity
This is a simple way to check in on how you’re feeling (and not feeling) as part of your team. It’s a chance to pause, reflect, and have a real conversation about the emotional culture you’re creating together. No right or wrong answers—just an opportunity to notice, share, and explore what might need more attention.
Step 1: Select Your Emotion Cards
- Choose three black cards (emotions you feel as part of this team).
- Choose three white cards (emotions you don’t feel as part of this team).
Step 2: Reflect & Share
- Why did you choose these cards?
- What patterns do you notice?
Step 3: Reframe & Take Action
- For your black cards: How can you help others feel these emotions too?
- For your white cards: How might feeling this emotion actually be helpful in some way? (A simple reframing exercise.)
Step 4: Team Discussion (Optional but powerful!)
- Share your insights with the team.
- Discuss ways to cultivate more of the emotions you want and reshape the ones that may be missing.
This quick activity helps teams check in on their emotional culture and take small but meaningful steps toward shaping a more intentional and supportive environment.
Emotional Culture Canvas + Workshop Plan
The Emotional Culture Canvas & Workshop helps teams craft the emotional culture they want by turning conversations about emotions into clear, actionable strategies. Emotions drive performance, yet they’re often overlooked—this tool makes them visible and practical, helping teams reduce conflict, boost motivation, and create a culture where people feel valued. The workshop brings teams together to map out the emotions they want (and don’t want) to shape their culture, leading to a shared understanding of the feelings and behaviours that drive success. The Canvas acts as both a diagnostic and planning tool, guiding teams to assess, design, and refine their emotional culture in a simple, structured way.
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.
Leadership
6 Questions to Find Out How Your Employees Are Really Doing
– by Rebecca Knight
1 Book:
To Discover
Discover the books that inspire our work at R&E—covering emotions, leadership, change, and culture.
Turn the Ship Around! by David Marquet
This book was a game-changer for me. It was one of the key influences that pushed me to simplify and codify all the work we do at R&E with our tools and frameworks. Turn the Ship Around! is the true story of how Navy captain David Marquet flipped the traditional leadership model on its head—moving from a “leader-follower” approach to a “leader-leader” mindset. Instead of giving orders, he empowered his crew to take ownership, think for themselves, and lead at every level. The result? His submarine, Santa Fe, went from worst to best in the fleet. This is a must-read for anyone looking to build a culture of trust, accountability, and leadership that actually works.
Check it out here >
Something I've been pondering...
"How much emotion is too much in leadership? We all know leadership isn’t just about strategy and vision—it’s about emotion. The way leaders express frustration, disappointment, or even anger can totally shift team motivation and performance. But here’s the tricky part: too little emotion, and no one cares. Too much, and you lose them."
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.
Wellington, NZ: Emotional Change Strategy Course – Mar 11
Toronto, Canada: Emotional Change Strategy Course – Mar 19
Auckland, NZ: Emotional Leadership Development Course – Mar 27
Christchurch, NZ: EmotiChange Strategy Course – March 27
Wellington, NZ: Emotional Change Strategy Course – April 29
London, UK: Emotional Leadership Development Course – April 2
Wellington, NZ: Emotional Leadership Development Course – June 24
Learn more about out ECD Specialist Courses
ECDTV.
New ways. New ideas. New answers. New perspectives. Watch the latest ECDTV videos here...
At riders&elephants, we believe leadership isn’t just about strategy and decisions—it’s an emotion-based practice. Leaders set the emotional tone of their teams and organisations, yet this crucial aspect is often overlooked or dismissed. Drawing on research from Sigal Barsade and Olivia O’Neill, we’ve developed tools to help leaders actively shape their emotional culture. Great leaders don’t just influence how people think and behave—they understand and manage emotions to drive motivation, engagement, and connection. By embracing emotional leadership, leaders can create workplaces where people are more satisfied, motivated, connected, and engaged—and where they work better together.
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.
Join us here now >
