Leading with Heart – Preparing for an Emotionally Intelligent Future

“In the past jobs were about muscles, now they’re about brains, but in the future they’ll be about the heart.”

This quote reflects a profound transition underway in our relationship with work.??

In previous eras, labor was largely driven by physical human effort and endurance. Then, the knowledge economy ushered focus towards intellectual capacity over manual skills. However, research shows that emotional intelligence (EQ) will soon eclipse both physicality and intellect as the greatest predictor of effectiveness in increasingly service-oriented jobs and especially in a global, interconnected workforce.?

The Case for Heart-Based Leadership?

Up to two-thirds of job growth over the next decade will be in roles like nursing, teaching, customer service and consultative sales centered on uniquely human skills like empathy, communication, self-awareness and relationship-building. Employees and consumers alike now expect visible emotional and social intelligence in work cultures.

In response to this shift, the most agile leaders are adopting a more holistic “heart-based” paradigm where decisions balance both rational drivers and emotional intelligence related to morale, wellbeing, empathy and intuition. Rather than override human needs with data-based directives, they motivate through compassion, vulnerability and consensus-building.??

The Next Frontier of Work is Feeling?

Ultimately, feeling valued is becoming as important as rational value itself. So, the leaders that will thrive are those who treat employees with genuine dignity, respect, sensitivity and care – fully appreciating diverse backgrounds. They encourage authentic self-expression, foster belonging, and promote resilience.

In this way, heart-skills like emotional self-regulation and cross-cultural dexterity will only grow in demand across all industries.

If you’re not familiar with the term cross-cultural dexterity, it refers to a leader’s ability to effectively navigate, communicate, and collaborate with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and has been around since the 1950s but is growing in relevance in our increasingly globalized business environment. The term “cultural dexterity” itself was coined by Tarun Khanna, a Harvard Business School professor, in his book Billions of Entrepreneurs: How China and India are Reshaping Their Futures and Yours (2008). Khanna used the term to describe the ability to adapt and thrive in different cultural contexts.?

Here’s why cross-cultural dexterity matters for leaders:

Effective communication: Leaders with cross-cultural dexterity can communicate effectively with team members, partners, and clients from different cultural backgrounds, minimizing misunderstandings and fostering clearer communication.

Building trust and rapport: By demonstrating cultural sensitivity and respect, leaders can build trust and rapport with people from diverse backgrounds, leading to stronger relationships and increased collaboration.

Leveraging diversity: Cross-culturally dexterous leaders can harness the benefits of diversity within their teams, leveraging different perspectives and experiences to drive innovation and problem-solving.

Facilitating global business: As companies expand globally, leaders with cross-cultural dexterity are better equipped to navigate international markets, negotiate with foreign partners, and adapt to local business practices.

A simple analogy Khanna uses to explain the role of cross-cultural dexterity pertains to the fact that rather than having a constant flow of new ideas, we are pulling from the past and creating new combinations of knowledge and experience. Khanna says: “It’s rather like Lego blocks when you think about it, a ‘block’ of knowledge from one field, combined with one from another, and so on.” To build the strongest structures, we need to see the value of all our ‘blocks’.?

Though IQ and technical qualifications will always matter, EQ may soon become the ultimate competitive differentiator in business and employment. The message is clear – we must prepare to bring more of our complete, emotional selves to everything we do. This is something I consciously include in my writing, speaking and coaching work. In fact, if I didn’t take a heart-based approach I would not be where I am today. A bible quote I reference in What’s Your Catalyst? is even more relevant in current times. As it says in Matthew 12:34, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”

By proactively building capacity for empathy, communication and vulnerability, leaders can gain an early advantage while driving this paradigm shift towards creating warmer, more inclusive and emotionally uplifting cultures focused squarely on the human aspects.