.png)
Leading with Emotional Intelligence: Building Core Leadership Capacity
"Throughout the training, the facilitator was incredibly helpful, providing thoughtful insights and practical tools to enhance our leadership skills. Their expertise and genuine enthusiasm for the topic inspired me to embrace emotional intelligence as a core part of my leadership approach. This training has truly been a game-changer for our team, and I am grateful for the opportunity to have participated."
The Client
ESRI, a global leader in geographic information systems and location intelligence, is known for its innovative technology and collaborative workplace culture. As part of its ongoing commitment to leadership development, ESRI sought to deepen emotional intelligence skills among its managers and leaders, strengthening their ability to navigate complexity, build trust, and lead with empathy in a rapidly evolving business landscape.
As ESRI’s teams grew and evolved, the organization recognized that technical expertise alone was no longer enough for effective leadership. Leaders needed to strengthen their emotional intelligence (EI), the capacity to understand and manage emotions, build authentic relationships, and respond skillfully to challenges. The goal was to help leaders:
.png)
The Inbo Approach
Assessment, Coaching, and Transformative Learning
We designed a multi-stage leadership development experience anchored in the EQ-i 2.0 model, a scientifically validated framework for measuring and developing emotional intelligence.
Individual EQ-i Assessments: Each leader completed a comprehensive emotional intelligence self-assessment, providing deep insight into their strengths and areas for growth.
1:1 Coaching and Goal Setting: We conducted individual debrief coaching sessions with every participant to explore their results, clarify leadership goals, and co-create development plans.
Experiential Training Workshop: Through the Leading with Emotional Intelligence workshop, participants engaged in interactive activities, discussions, and reflection practices designed to bring EI concepts to life.
Topics included:
- Understanding the five EQ-i composite areas: self-perception, self-expression, interpersonal skills, decision-making, and stress management
- Using emotions as data and expanding emotional vocabulary
- Developing empathy and perspective-taking skills
- Making conscious choices under stress and navigating uncertainty with creative courage
Ongoing Reflection and Accountability: Participants were organized into small accountability trios to support continued practice and share progress on their EI development goals beyond the session.
The Results
Transforming Leadership from the Inside Out
.png)
The program had a transformative impact on both individual leaders and the broader team culture. Participants reported increased self-awareness, improved communication, and a deeper ability to lead with empathy and intentionality. They gained practical tools to manage emotional triggers, strengthen relationships, and navigate uncertainty, skills that immediately translated into stronger team dynamics and more resilient leadership.
Emotional intelligence became not just a leadership skill, but a shared language and lens across the team, shaping how leaders show up, connect, and lead with heart.
The success of this program lay in its integrated design, combining the depth of individual assessment and coaching with the power of experiential group learning. By grounding leadership growth in self-awareness and emotional intelligence, the program created meaningful, sustained shifts in how leaders think, feel, and act. The combination of science-backed tools, tailored facilitation, and real-world application ensured the learning was not just inspiring, but deeply impactful.
%20(1).png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
Inbo is a leadership development consultancy that helps fast-growing, mission-driven companies build authentic, high-performing cultures, teams and leaders.
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png)
.png){kind=spacer}