Are you a leader managing big changes in your organization? Don't forget emotional intelligence.
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Building a strong team, navigating challenges, and striving for success—that’s the name of the game for leaders of any organization with the potential to thrive. We know good leaders are visionaries, who are able to collaborate, communicate and adapt. But what elevates that leadership strategy from “good” to “great”? Emotional intelligence.
Emotional intelligence plays a crucial role in effective leadership. Leaders who possess and prioritize emotional intelligence have the ability to understand, manage, and leverage emotions, both in themselves and in others. Earlier this month, an Inc. article dug deeper into the topic, noting that Twitter’s new CEO offers an important lesson behind her frequent use of one word within the context of change: together. “On the surface, you may not consider this word special. But when it comes to change management, the word "together" sends a powerful message. It also teaches a lesson in emotional intelligence, the ability to understand and manage emotions.”
Many of Outspoken speakers’ most popular talks center around navigating organizational changes and improving employee wellbeing, all while making long-term success sustainable. Read more below about some of our speakers’ most requested talks related to corporate culture and business strategy.
For over two decades, Michael Ventura has worked as a leader, facilitator, and educator. He is the author of Applied Empathy, which has been named a top change management book by Inc. Concepts and tools from his book have been embraced by top organizations, brands, and world leaders, including ACLU, Google, Goldman Sachs, Microsoft, Nike, The United Nations and the Obama Administration. Michael’s work “makes a case for why empathy is so important for businesses and leaders, and why it is absolutely essential if you want to bring about lasting change.”
Featured Topic: Empathetic Leadership: Capturing the Value Within
In the Media: Empathy Doesn’t Mean “Be Nice”
Employee retention specialist Watchen Nyanue has helped thousands of employees who are at various points of their careers—helping new hires navigate their way up the corporate ladder to laying a framework for leaders who want to reduce turnover and keep their top talent. As the founder and CEO of I Choose the Ladder, a career development agency, Watchen helps organizations and individuals thrive through professional development workshops, curated events, and digital resources.
Featured Topic: High-Impact Mentorship
In the Media: Employee Development Retention with I Choose The Ladder
How do you build meaningful connections with your team and foster a sense of belonging when everyone is working from different locations? How can you ensure that employees feel engaged, motivated and connected to their work when they have the freedom to work from anywhere? Meaningful Connections Facilitator Amanda Slavin's engagement framework, The Seventh Level, offers a solution to these problems. As a celebrated educator, Cannes Lion award-winning community designer, and Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree, Amanda's innovative Seventh Level Engagement Framework is revolutionizing the way we approach and measure success.
Featured Topic: Forging Connection and Meaningful Work in the Remote and Flex Work Era
In the Media: Amanda Slavin Of CatalystCreativ Is Disrupting How To Raise Companies To The Next Level (Podcast)
Why is empathy today at such a low point? Called “the Oprah of Management Thinkers,” Erica Dhawan is the world’s leading authority on 21st-century Collaboration and Connectional Intelligence. She challenges audiences and organizations to innovate faster and further, together, not only raising the question of “empathy,” but also finding solutions to fix it. Her newest book, Digital Body Language, decodes the new signals and cues of effective collaboration and teamwork in a digital-first human workplace.
Featured Topic: Concrete Empathy: A Playbook for Leading Modern Teams to Innovation
In the Media: Build Trust, Connection in a ‘Work From Anywhere” World
Company Culture expert Josh Levine is on a mission to help organizations harness their power. His book, Great Mondays: How to Design a Company Culture Employees Love, presents the tools business leaders need to understand, design, and manage their own culture. Did you know about 70 percent of change initiatives fail? In his talks, Josh shares his proven strategies for defying those odds—and improving your bottom line.
Featured Topic: Building Relationships in Distributed Environments: Cats, Curling, Concert Tees
In the Media: The Kind of Culture Employees Love
As a thought leader in organizational innovation, Tina Opie’s Shared Sisterhood framework helps individuals and organizations unearth their blind spots, providing a catalyst for new thinking and needed change. Her book, Shared Sisterhood, co-authored with Dr. Beth Livingston, was recognized by Publishers Weekly as a Top 10 Business and Economics Book for Fall 2022. Tina has created a powerful approach for supporting teams of any size, as well as a new way of navigating the world by staying true to ourselves while working together.
Featured Topic: Mind & Muscle: Thinking Deeply, Acting With Intent, Fostering Connections
In the Media: Dig, Bridge, Collectively Act
Named one of the Top 50 Business Thinkers in the world, Dorie Clark helps individuals and companies get their best ideas heard in a crowded, noisy world. Dorie has been described by the New York Times as an “expert at self-reinvention and helping others make changes in their lives.” She is a frequent contributor to the Harvard Business Review, and consults and speaks for clients such as Google, Yale University, and the World Bank.
Featured Topic: Building Your Brand As a Leader
In The Media: Four Surprising Ways of Earning —and Keeping—Others’ Trust
As a Mental Conditioning and Culture Coach for the Canadian Women's Olympic 7's team, workplace wellness expert Jill Payne knows what it takes to make a team cohesive. Her unique integration of mental health tools as part of a mental performance program supports a culture of winning and collaborative environments. Jill’s strategies are highly sought after by corporations and celebrities alike who want to change the way they manage their energy and their lives.
Featured Topic: Learn to be a 10: A Guide to Energy Management
In the Media: Empowering Tools to Shift Your Emotions and Energy
Outspoken Agency is a women-owned speaking agency representing leaders, founders, public intellectuals, authors and entertainers for paid keynotes, workshops and panels at in-person and virtual events. Learn more about our female founders here.