A Conversation with Daniel Goleman: How to Use Emotional Intelligence for an Optimal Day, Every Day

In the latest episode of the We are Human Leaders podcast, we speak to Daniel Goleman about his latest book ‘Optimal: How to Sustain Personal and Organizational Excellence Every Day’.

Daniel’s seminal work on Emotional Intelligence (EI) has transformed how we think about emotions in the workplace and far beyond. He’s also a lovely person and a great conversationalist who puts his research into practice. We’re sure you’ll enjoy this conversation as much as we did.

The founder of EI on EI

During this warm, wide-ranging conversation with Daniel, we explore the domains of emotional intelligence and the impact of EI on workplaces. Daniel shares the research conducted by Vanessa Druskat which underscores how the impacts of EI apply equally in the team context. 

We also take a deep dive into the ‘optimal’ state, which is characterized by focus, cognitive control and purpose. And in contrast to ‘flow’ state, Daniel explains that optimal state is something we can actively cultivate, rather than having to wait for that magical moment of flow to occur. 

As Daniel explains,

“The problem with flow is you can't make it happen. It is like grace. In the optimal state, you can do more to make it happen, to allow it. For example, by paying full attention to something.”

We also explore concepts including Personal Sustainability, and Daniel’s important work with Professor Richard Boyatzis around change and social intelligence. 

As Human Leaders, we appreciate how clearly Daniel reiterates the importance of ongoing support and training to building meaningful change for teams and organizations.

We couldn’t agree more: the path to Emotional Intelligence and Optimal State is not a one-and-done. It’s a lifelong journey. One that this conversation will leave you more inspired than ever to take.