Why Emotional Intelligence Will Decide Who Survives the Age of AI - Phil Johnson

2026-02-13

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Did you know that toxic work environments are draining the global economy by a staggering $9 trillion every year? That’s the price tag of showing up to work and checking out emotionally. My guest today, Phil Johnson, founder of the Master of Business Leadership Academy, joins me to explore why emotional intelligence (EQ) is more critical than ever, not just for us, but for the next generation. Phil explains why our kids will suffer more than we do if we fail to evolve in this area. We dive into why presence matters in the workplace, why organizations spend so much o...

Did you know that toxic work environments are draining the global economy by a staggering $9 trillion every year? That’s the price tag of showing up to work and checking out emotionally.

My guest today, Phil Johnson, founder of the Master of Business Leadership Academy, joins me to explore why emotional intelligence (EQ) is more critical than ever, not just for us, but for the next generation. Phil explains why our kids will suffer more than we do if we fail to evolve in this area.

We dive into why presence matters in the workplace, why organizations spend so much on presence, and yet so many of us struggle to truly be present. Phil makes a compelling case that leaders with high emotional intelligence cannot be measured the same way as those with high intellectual intelligence, and he discusses the implications of artificial intelligence in this mix.

We also explore the hidden cost of giving away our energy, how it creates an energy deficit, and why replacing that energy without taking it from others is essential. Phil shows why inspirational leaders tend to be more emotionally intelligent and how everyone benefits when we lower our walls, while raising them hurts everyone around us.

Through real-life stories of leadership and transformation, Phil underscores that developing emotional intelligence is essential for personal growth, professional success, and societal evolution. Let’s dive in!

In this episode, we discuss:

[02:08] Billy’s first conversation with Phil: key lessons & his methodology
[03:51] Who Phil Johnson is
[04:17] What leaders truly need to hear
[07:05] Root cause of workplace chaos & why thriving at work is low
[10:49] Habits & tools to protect energy
[12:20] Real-world examples of energy loss
[16:40] Developing emotional intelligence
[18:16] Who to learn from for EQ
[27:13] Responding vs reacting
[32:24] Phil’s transformative aha moments
[39:08] 20,000 years of change in 100 years
[48:50] Organizations treat symptoms, not root causes
[52:19] Phil’s advice on developing EI to lead & achieve goals

Notable Quotes

[06:27] “ Emotional intelligence is 400% more valuable in achieving success in intellectual intelligence.” - Phil
[07:53] “ Toxic work environments are costing the global economy over $9 trillion a year, and it's increasing.”- Phil
[08:43] “ We're only actually conscious about 3 to 5% of the time. The rest of the time we're relying on our, on our habits that we've developed.” - Phil
[11:30] “ How we feel about ourself is based on how somebody else feels about us, we're unconsciously giving away our energy to them to determine how you, how we should feel about ourselves.”- Phil
[23:37] " Everybody benefits when we lower our walls and everybody is affected negatively when we raise our walls.” - Phil
[25:27] “ When we're not present, our ego-based fears take over.”- Phil
[44:57] “ We can no longer continue like the slowly boiling frog to pretend that somebody's gonna come and save us.”- Phil

Resources and Links

Phil Johnson

LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipjpjohnson/
Master of Business Leadership Academy: ⁠https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjfc3tV87p03JMDOXqDu8tQ

Billy Samoa Saleebey