The One Skillset Inclusive Leaders Can’t Afford to Ignore Right Now

Today’s workplace presents Talent, Inclusion, HR, and People leaders with unprecedented tension and complexity. Polarization is rising, executive orders are reshaping the legal landscape, and fatigue around traditional messaging is growing. Even the most committed leaders find themselves asking: How do we stay true to our values and continue to drive inclusion forward when the very language meant to unite can inadvertently create division?

To build inclusive workplaces and demonstrate lasting impact, inclusive leaders need a more adaptive, evidence-based approach.

A Timely Approach: Emotionally Intelligent Leadership

One skillset is proving especially powerful in this moment: emotional intelligence (EI). Backed by decades of psychological research, emotional intelligence enables leaders to navigate complex relationships, manage stress, and lead with self-awareness, empathy, and cultural agility.

These capabilities aren’t just vital to inclusion, they’re core to effective leadership now. Emotionally intelligent leaders foster trust, build resilient teams, and create environments where people feel seen and supported. In today’s climate, emotional intelligence offers a shared, human-centered foundation, one that transcends political, cultural, and generational divides.

Why Emotional Intelligence Meets This Moment

Emotional intelligence doesn’t dilute inclusion, it makes it more sustainable. This skillset translates abstract values into practical, repeatable skills inclusive leaders can apply in real time, particularly during moments of heightened tension or uncertainty.

At Seramount, our research shows that inclusive leadership is a business-critical capability. High-performing teams need more than vision, they need leaders who can manage conflict constructively, support psychological safety, and collaborate across lines of difference.

These outcomes don’t happen by accident. They require intentional development and support. That’s where emotional intelligence becomes not just relevant, but essential to business success.

The Path Forward: How Seramount is Responding

Over the past year, we’ve engaged in deep dialogue with our global partners. While the external landscape has changed, one thing remains constant: leading companies remain deeply committed to creating cultures where people can thrive. What’s evolving is the how.

We’re meeting this moment with intentionality:

We’ve adapted our frameworks and language to reduce fatigue, increase engagement, and foster connection.
We’ve doubled down on best practice research and real-world insight to equip leaders with the skills that matter most now.
We remained committed to the belief that the future of inclusion isn’t about stepping back, it’s about moving forward.

The Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Series

If you’re looking to empower managers with the tools to lead with empathy, resilience, and cultural intelligence, Seramount’s Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Series offers a practical, research-backed learning experience designed to address today’s key challenges.

Session topics include:

Leading with Emotional Intelligence
Self-Awareness Strategies
Emotional Regulation Strategies
Wellbeing in the Workplace
Intercultural Competence

If these topics align with your organization’s priorities, we’d love to explore how this series can support your leadership development goals.

Let’s talk.

Michael Nicholson is an Associate Director, Strategic Research and Product Marketing at Seramount. As a DEI and talent researcher, he is equally committed to delightful storytelling and useful knowledge. His responsibilities at Seramount include management of thought leadership, product narratives, and other strategic research initiatives.

Michael Nicholson is a Principal, Strategic Research at Seramount. As a DEI and talent researcher, he is equally committed to delightful storytelling and useful knowledge. His responsibilities at Seramount include management of thought leadership, product narratives, and other strategic research initiatives. At Seramount and beyond, he works to create effective messaging for all. Whether in an app or a sonnet, he believes every word counts.

Prior to joining the Seramount team, Michael earned his PhD at UCLA and served as a tenure-track professor at McGill University. As Director of the Montreal International Poetry Prize, he pursued his lifelong love of inclusive storytelling and actionable insights, helping to develop and market the first app-based, character-limited global writing product.

Michael lives in Southern California with his son, Wyatt, where he enjoys hiking along the coast and advancing environmental justice. As a neurodiversity advocate, he’s always looking to connect with fellow wordsmiths with a shared passion for impactful data and accessible communities.

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Mollie Teitelbaum (she/her) is an Associate Director on the Learning and Advisory teams at Seramount. She is a Learning and Development leader who designs and delivers evidence-based training programs that enhance workplace engagement, collaboration, and innovation.

Mollie Teitelbaum (she/her) is an Associate Director on the Learning and Advisory teams at Seramount. She is a Learning and Development leader who designs and delivers evidence-based training programs that enhance workplace engagement, collaboration, and innovation. With a focus on workplace culture and employee wellness, Mollie combines her academic research background and storytelling prowess to create impactful learning experiences for employees at all levels—from entry-level to C-suite. She has developed dozens of workshops and webinars and facilitated hundreds of sessions on topics such as leadership accountability, communication, psychological safety, cultural competence, and emotional intelligence, training tens of thousands of employees across a wide range of industries.

Mollie’s career began as a researcher and speaker at the intersection of philosophy and psychology, focused on accountability, bias mitigation, and habit science. Her graduate research formed the basis for her popular 2020 Mindful Magazine article, “5 Mindful Habits to Fight Bias Every Day,” and she delivered a TEDx talk in 2017 on addressing harmful social biases.

At Seramount, Mollie designs training programs that enhance engagement, productivity, and inclusion across partner organizations. She also advises talent leaders, facilitates leadership trainings, and creates learning programs for ERG leaders. Her approach blends cutting-edge research with actionable tools and facilitation best practices to ensure training is both relevant and impactful.

Mollie holds a B.A. from Binghamton University and an M.A. in Bioethics from NYU College of Global Public Health.