Interviews with Bobi Seredich: The Need for Emotional Intelligence Training

How long have you been involved in emotional intelligence work? 

I have been doing leadership training at some level for almost, probably 20 years. And I was certified to train in emotional intelligence in 2006. So I started off working in emotional intelligence because I had a speaker expert that I connected with, his name was Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry. And he is the co-founder of the Institute for Health and Human Potential in Canada. So I started booking him as a speaker over and over again, and I was traveling with him and hearing him speak. And then we were working with a client on the East Coast and he said, “You know what, you should get certified, we’re doing training programs, it’d be great. We need more trainers, and they didn’t really have a presence on the west coast.” So that’s when I got certified to train in emotional intelligence and by far I just think it’s the one skill set that defines a great leader is that foundational skill set of how they can influence people, inspire them, motivate them, coach, connect, communicate, and how self-aware are they?

So it was really Dr. JP Pawliw-Fry, and then from there, I was kind of sold. I was like, Okay, everyone needs to have this.

How Important is Emotional Intelligence as a skill set in today’s world?

I think it is the most important skill set. I mean, it’s really defined– I mean, your IQ and your technical skills we say get you in the door. But your EQ your emotional quotient or your EI skills is what keeps you there and keeps getting you promoted. So how you work well with others, how you connect with people, how do you influence people, whether they’re people that report to you or their peers or clients or customers…. I think it’s one of the most important skill sets that any leader or emerging leader can learn.

Why Is There a Need for Emotional Intelligence Training?

It’s something that can be learned, I think starting with number one, a lot of people are not as self-aware. And I think emotional intelligence, learning that one of the foundational components is self-awareness. So understanding how you show up for others, how your ability to connect with other people is another part of emotional intelligence. And then your ability to self-regulate, to manage your own emotions and your emotional connections with other people.

I think that at a foundational level, those are the three components the self-awareness, your self-regulation and your ability to connect with other people.

What Surprises You Most About The People You Work With?

I think that’s the biggest thing in all my 1000s of hours of coaching is that people are not self-aware. Like somewhere along the way, no one ever told him this, or they didn’t learn this. And so they’re taken aback even when they first get that feedback. Like that cannot be true. That’s not me. So that’s a big part of it is self-awareness.