Digital Transformation Basics: Emotions and Play

Hey Everyone!

Edoardo here, finally getting back to you after probably the biggest interruption between newsletters…

But for good reason!

I have tons of content and news for you, but this time we go beyond that…

First things first: I have set up, developed and published a whole new website with a whole new set of workshops, all backed of course by:

1. science,
2. management studies and experience, and
3. improvised theatre.

So, drumroll: welcome to ebz-coaching.com — officially operating in Berlin, Paris and Milan.

Need an extra take on what I do now?

Here’s an interview I had given at ESOMAR’s conference in Berlin, where I gave a presentation about Leadership in the Digital Age, take a look!

Now, that said, what’s been the best pieces of content that have come out in recent times?

Looking at the general perspective, it seems that everyone (research included) agrees that a key component of digital transformation must be the people aspect.

Now, research has been clear about it for years, and companies and news outlets are starting to consolidate on the idea.

Recent content has focused on two main areas we need to be proficient in if we want to have any hope of success in digital:

1. emotional intelligence; and
2. play.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

First things first, emotional intelligence has always been weird for many companies, but numbers don’t like, and emotional intelligence is responsible for 58% of performance in all types of jobs, and whenever leaders decide to let go of their formality and start showing emotions at work, it leads directly to increased motivation, performance, cooperation and creativity. (according to the Oxford Review).

And if you want to have even more material supporting these claims, consider how you only get strong business connections if you prioritize the emotional component over the business one.

PLAY

Play also has a hard time emerging in traditional work cultures, but also in this case we can refer to science.

Look for example at these results, showing that unless you allow yourself time to explore and play instead of stressing over ideas you won’t be able to create or innovate much.

Most importantly, we need to remove formality in creative work. Research shows that too much formality and control “end up taking a toll on productivity, creativity, and relationships in the workplace.”

So what do we do with Emotions and Play?

You have two choices:

1. you either start taking a look at these hard facts and roll with them, or
2. ignore all that and just book another sporting event to do teambuilding for the whole company.

Oh wait… That’s also been proven to be a complete waste of time!

From my side I’ll always hold true to these concepts in the way I work and in the trainings I give… digital is coming and all the above will come with it, are you in? ;-)

See you soon!

Edoardo

Want more of this? Join my newsletter here!