Ei Cafe with Azeem

What is not Emotional Intelligence ? as I am stepping in to the 50th Episode I thought of reflect how this journey understanding emotional intelligence. I have interviewed 49 different individual from all 5 continents, I was really amazed to understand the different perspective brought in to the conversation around Ei. The Podcast I started due to lockdown has given me a true inspiration to run 4...

The key to a successful organization is to have a culture based on a strongly held and widely shared set of beliefs that are supported by strategy and structure. When an organization has a strong culture, three things happen: Employees know how top management wants them to respond to any situation, employees believe that the expected response is the proper one, and employees know that they will be...

Gamification has been a hot topic in learning for some time now and it’s no surprise. We all love playing games. The feeling of accomplishment, of improving, of beating an opponent, and the feedback and rewards that you get are the sorts of things that keep you coming back for more. But the question is how it can help for people development ? Fernando Mendes - Co founder and Chief Executive Office...

From deadlines and performance quotas, to budget cuts and restructuring, the workplace can be a very high-stress environment. At the right level, stress is not necessarily a bad thing and can actually motivate and challenge your team, encourage creativity and improve productivity. But when the pressure for an employee to perform, meet expectations or face uncertainty becomes overwhelming, the cons...

Coaching is another transformative process of guiding and enabling change within a coachee for positive outcomes. neuroscience is the study of the brain and the nervous system and how these systems function physiologically to transform sensory stimuli into output, actions and/or reactions. Coupling these two provides a deep impact emphasis of self-awareness about how one’s brain is wired to proces...

If I were to ask you what it takes to be effective across cultures, what comes to mind? If you are anything like me, then you have probably started to rattle off some of the classics: self-awareness, open-mindedness, curiosity, flexibility—maybe communication skills. All important. But where is creativity in this picture? And why isn’t it closer to the top of the list when it comes to what it take...

The workplace can be fast-paced, competitive, and, at times, stressful. It demands that we perform at our best, be productive and focused, and get along with colleagues, management, and/or clients. This is where meditation and mindfulness come in, helping you to feel less stressed, be less reactive, and improve your compassion while simultaneously strengthening areas of focus, productivity, and re...

Hope you have heard about compassion? You’re likely familiar with, and hopefully demonstrate the concept the Dalai Lama describes as an individual’s “sense of commitment, responsibility, and respect toward the other.” Does that high-pressure environment truly lead to financial success, though? And should compassion be left to the religious, soul-searching people, care workers, NGOs and other finan...

Life may not come with a map, but everyone will experience twists and turns, from everyday challenges to traumatic events with more lasting impact, like the death of a loved one, a life-altering accident, or a serious illness. Each change affects people differently, bringing a unique flood of thoughts, strong emotions and uncertainty. Yet people generally adapt well over time to life-changing situ...

The wellbeing of employees influences their organizations productivity and performance. Improving wellbeing increases employee performance and decreases uncertified sick leave, turnover and stress-related compensation claims . When Organizations take an approach of taking care of its employees wellbeing, they can increase productivity and decrease compensation costs. Workplace well-being, which in...

" The strategies, capabilities, processes and mindsets that have led us to where we are today will not take us into the future,” :Patrik Anderson: CEO of LOOMIS. The power of divergent thinking lies in expanding the areas of choice beyond what is being done today, and to build concrete options for a company to remain relevant and succeed in the future. Divergent thinking allows a group to generate...

Employability or ‘soft skills’ are the building blocks of an individual’s career. The media frequently run stories on how these skills are lacking in school-leavers, graduates and/or those already in employment. Organizations spend a lot of time and money training staff, not in job specific areas but in general and basic skills. As outlined in the World Economic Forum’s latest Future of Jobs Repor...

It’s what people think when they hear your name, what pops up on Google when someone searches for you, and your presence across social media. It’s critical to craft your personal brand strategically and build one that helps advance your career and your life. When done effectively, a strong personal brand leads to new opportunities and connections that can change your life.  There is sudden sh...

Many professionals have a strong resistance to leaving a job that's not working out. Quitting is hard because it carries an implication that you gave up, did not try hard enough, or were not good enough to make it work. The reality, as Seth Godin so aptly puts it, is that the motivational quotes that tell you “Quitters never win and winners never quit” are wrong. Winners quit all the time — they j...

When your new neighbors bring over a plate of cookies to welcome you to the neighborhood, you might feel obligated to return the favor when they ask you to take care of their dog while they are on vacation. Reciprocity also allows people to get things done that they would not be able to do on their own. By working together or exchanging services, people are able to accomplish more than they would...

As an educator or parent , some of the worst things you can hear a student or child say is, “This is stupid,” or “Why are we learning this?” Think back to when you were in school and the subjects that caused you the most frustration. You’d likely find some common ground with your students or children in wishing you were given clear reasons why something was important and how learning a subject or...

Creative leadership drives productivity and fosters success in a company. Creativity is one of the most important qualities of a modern business leader. Creativity itself is the abandonment of rigid structures, a very desirable trait for individuals in leadership positions to have in a corporate setting. Creative leaders have the ability to look at things in new ways and solve problems by seeing t...

Most companies don’t realize how central emotions are to building the right culture. They tend to focus on cognitive culture: the shared intellectual values, norms, artifacts, and assumptions that set the overall tone for how employees think and behave at work. Though that’s incredibly important, the authors’ research shows that it’s only part of the story. The other critical part is emotional cul...

A strong network is like money in the bank. Your network can help you build visibility, connect you with influencers , and open up doors for new opportunities. Building and nurturing a network is one of the most powerful things you can do to support your career advancement. In this episode I had the previledged to Host Dr. Ivan Misner- Founder & Chief Visionary officer of BNI( Business Network...

Companies increasingly rely on diverse, multidisciplinary teams that combine the collective capabilities of women and men, people of different cultural heritage, and younger and older workers. But simply throwing a mix of people together doesn’t guarantee high performance; it requires Inclusive leadership — leadership that assures that all team members feel they are treated respectfully and fairly...

Leadership: what does the word remind you of? Authority. Confidence. Power. Age. It is a word that everyone knows but few really understand. But of all the misconceptions that come with it, most will focus on the last one for now: age. The most common perception is that with age comes experience and thus the ability to lead. But what if leadership was not as linear as this? What if we are collecti...

By making data readily available to employees and the public, leaders can hold their businesses accountable and ensure that every step the organization takes is in its own best interest. The external return on investment checks out too. In this Episode We speak to Christopher Salem- Executive Coach ,Keynote Speaker & an Award winning author from US, Why Transparency makes such big impact for o...

Silo Effect refers to a lack of information flowing between groups or parts of an organization. On a farm, silos prevent different grains from mixing. In an organization, the Silo Effect limits the interactions between members of different branches of the company, thus leading to reduced productivity. So Can We Break this Silo effect? Collaboration is the word comes in to our mind when talking abo...

When someone feels good, proud, excited, relieved or satisfied about something, that person is said to be "Happy" . Feeling happy may help people to relax and to smile. Happiness is usually thought of as the opposite of sadness. Happiness has also been linked to better decision-making and improved creativity. So, rather than success being the key to happiness , research shows that happiness could...

When someone feels confused, lost, stuck and may require direction and support but are uncertain which avenue will meet their needs. We need help, we need someone to direct us, we need someone to coach for us to become a better person. Coaching in recent past has been the word everyone is talking about. Coaching promotes self-awareness to discover how it someone can help to boost your performance,...