How would you rate your emotional intelligence?It turns out that the core of any successful customer experience initiative is deeply intertwined with the capacity and willingness of employees to communicate effectively.  Emotional intelligence is a fundamental skill when it comes to communication.Sandra Thompson is an EI expert and ranks as a top 10  Emotional Intelligence leaders on LinkedIn.  She joined me on The Delighted Customers Podcast to help leaders navigate EI and understand the very real impact EI has on the customer experience, and ultimately employee and customer engagement."You have to put in the work!" Sandra says.  "Some may be able to do it (improve their EI) on their own...while others may need an accountability coach to hold the mirror up and ask them tough questions."Sandra shares practical suggestions that business leaders can implement right away to lift their emotional intelligence personally and organizationally.Here are some of the highlights included in this episode:5 tips for improving emotional intelligence 5 Tips to Improve Emotional IntelligenceEmotional intelligence and it's connection to CXThe Jellybean Game and the importance of visceral customer experiencesThe impact of bad customer experiences and the inflection point for loyaltyThe practice of gratitude and its impact on starting the day positivelyThis episode is rich with ideas and insights and I love the British accent!Meet Sandra!Sandra Thompson is the first Goleman Emotional Intelligence Coach in the UK. She started out as a Customer Experience consultant in 2010 when she founded Exceed all Expectations, a management consultancy focusing on improving customer and employee experience. Sandra rebranded as The Ei Evolution in Jan 2021 because she believes that the skill of emotional intelligence can transform the way businesses behave, improve the relationships between customer and employee and between colleagues too.  She is still working in the field of customer experience but the new brand enables Sandra to work more with schools – she believes that teaching young people how to become more emotionally intelligent could help them thrive. Sandra has been fortunate to work with clients such as: Vodafone, Arsenal Football Club, Waitrose, Open University, Battersea Dog & Cats home, and Network Rail. She gives keynotes and frequently presents on webinars and podcasts to an international audience on all matters CX, EX and EI. Sandra has been fortunate to lecture part-time at a Business School in London on the topics of People Management and Leadership and Professional Behaviours and Customer Management and she runs a series of postgraduate courses in Customer Experience and Emotional Intelligence. She presented her first academic paper in 2019, TEDx in 2020, and intends to start a PhD in 2025.  It’s true to say that she’s a lifelong learner. Recommended Book:Man's Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl - https://www.amazon.com/Mans-Search-Meaning-Viktor-Frankl-ebook/dp/B009U9S6FIHere is the reference to the cards:https://www.ridersandelephants.com/the-emotional-culture-deck-pdf-download Lisa Feldman Barrett  link for her publications:  https://lisafeldmanbarrett.com Subscribe to The Delighted Customer Podcast so you don't miss an episode: https://www.empoweredcx.com/podcast Subscribe to The Delighted Customer Newsletter for practical tips and insights: https://www.empoweredcx.com/delightedcustomersnewsletter