339: Lead Smarter by Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence with Roberta Fernandez

When it comes to leadership, emotional intelligence often gets overlooked. For years, the American work culture has emphasized suppressing emotions in the workplace. But times are changing.

Today, emotional intelligence is as crucial as any leadership skill–if not the most essential. Our guest is here to show us why it matters and how to manage our emotions effectively.

Meet Roberta Fernandez. Roberta is a professional development consultant specializing in emotional intelligence and organizational cultural change. She holds a Master Practitioner certification in NLP and is a Board-certified Hypnotherapist, making her uniquely skilled in understanding human behavior. Roberta’s past clients form a diverse portfolio, including Kemps, Sam’s Club, Target, Optum, Pentair, governments, academic institutions, and private small businesses.

In this episode, Roberta and I explore the transformative power of emotional intelligence in the workplace. Roberta shares how emotions influence behavior and introduces practical tools for managing team dynamics effectively.

With practical tips on staying calm in heated situations, navigating tough conversations, and recognizing workplace emotions, this episode is packed with insights to improve your leadership and collaboration skills.

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Conversation Topics

• (00:00) Introduction
• (01:56) What is emotional intelligence?
• (04:06) Understanding and addressing your emotions
• (07:28) Why emotional awareness is critical for managers
• (11:32) The FARE framework (Focus, Associate, Repeat, and Expect) explained
• (16:45) Tips for navigating the emotions that come with change
• (19:21) How to manage emotions during heated conversations
• (25:19) Why do people act based on their beliefs
• (30:19) A great manager Roberta has worked for
• (31:16) Keep up with Roberta
• (31:22) [Extended Episode Only] How to proactively prevent a conversation from getting emotional
• (34:28) [Extended Episode Only] Using the Frame Tool for taking emotions out of team problem-solving

Additional Resources:

- Get the extended episode by Joining The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community for just $15 per month

- Read the full transcript here

- Follow me on Instagram here 

- Visit my website for more here

- Upskill your team here

- Subscribe to my YouTube Channel here

Keep up with Roberta Fernandez

- Follow Roberta on LinkedIn and Instagram

- Visit her website for more information here

FREE Emotional Intelligence Assessment and the Frame Tool

Roberta is providing members of Podcast+ with access to her emotional intelligence assessment as well as “the frame” tool, which she explains in the extended episode.

To get this guest bonus and many other member benefits, become a member of The Modern Manager Podcast+ Community.

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