‘Emotional Intelligence And Confidence’ With Rise Up For You Author And CEO Nada Lena Nasserdeen
The Destiny Awakening Interviews is a podcast with Andrew Wayfinder and his guests.
Every week (sometimes more) we have a short focused interview with an expert, author, speaker designed to bring you powerful insights, inspiration and ways to break free, live life by your vision and values, and make a difference in our changing and challenging world.
Listen to the podcast at: DA Podcast 0017
Andrew Hryniewicz
So hello everyone and a very warm welcome to another edition of the Destiny Awakening Interviews.
I’m Andrew Wayfinder Hryniewicz and I’m joined today by Nada Lena Nasserdeen. TEDx speaker, professor, author, CEO, leadership and confidence coach.
So a very warm welcome to you Nada. And where are you hanging out today?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Thank you so much. It’s an honor to be here. Andrew, I’m in sunny Southern California in Orange County. You can see the sun is shining in on me. So that’s where I’m at, and happy to tune in here today.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, great. So Nada Lena is the founder and CEO of Rise Up For You, an educational and motivational company that focuses on enhancing company culture and personal development by developing the interpersonal, emotional and social skills needed to be successful in today’s world.
She’s the author of “Rise Up For You: Closing the Gap Between You and Your Potential”. She’s taught at the college level for 10 years, toured the world as a singer, and worked with companies like CBS, LA Fitness, Google, Next 19 and many more.
So thank you Nada for your time today. And today, we’re going to be talking about “Emotional Intelligence”.
And Nada is going to unpack that idea for us by answering six questions. First one: Who is your ideal client? And what’s the transformation you help them achieve?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
So our ideal client — and we really have two — is any kind of corporation, really, that is having any challenges that have to do with their people.
Which company isn’t? Right. Which company doesn’t?
So that’s communication challenges... That’s diversity and inclusion... Leadership while working remotely…
Really looking to advance and engage their team. So that their company as a whole can really grow and build that positive company culture and wellbeing.
So that’s the first side.
The second side is just the individual. It’s the individual that’s looking to push themselves and get to that next level.
They’ve already achieved some level of success.
But they understand that career confidence, that leadership capability, that business strategy is going to push them beyond their blind spots to that next level of potential.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Sort of reminds me of that scene in Jaws where they finally see the shark and go, “Oh, we’re gonna need a bigger boat.”
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Yeah, absolutely.
Andrew Hryniewicz
So when they come to you, what’s the biggest challenge they’re facing?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
So, if we’re talking about a corporation, specifically: there’s a lack of engagement, high employee turnover. Or they just see a lack of motivation, and maybe not as positive a company culture as they would like. Right?
People are on autopilot, they’re stressed, it’s happening. Leaders aren’t — and when I say leaders, not all of them — some of them aren’t leading their team in the best possible way for optimization when it comes to performance.
And so these are really some of the biggest challenges that we see currently, right now. It’s diversity, equity and inclusion. And it’s emotional intelligence.
So helping the team manage stress during COVID… helping the team understand and build self awareness, manage their emotions… and then be able to show empathy, coach and mentor others.
Andrew Hryniewicz
And in that context, we’re at question number three: What would be your number one insight to share with people who are struggling with these issues right now?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
They have to spend more than one 90 minute training on it.
You know if my company’s right for you… because we work with companies around the world, and people around the world, on soft skills. That’s really what these are.
These are all the skills that you’re not going to learn in a book. They’re not your technical skills.
But the challenge is that we’re too used to doing a 90 minute leadership training… or 90 minutes of training on “DEI: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion”. Or a 90 minute training on EQ.
But the reality is, is that if we really want to make positive shifts in our behaviors, so that we can enhance the workplace and our personal life…
We need to have repetition…
We need to have consistency…
We need to have a system around our people that’s going to start at three months on.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Question number four: In your experience, what concept, book, program, talk has been most impactful in developing who you are and how you work with people?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
So, for me personally, there’s a really great book called “The New Earth” by Eckhart Tolle. And that’s the book that I really like to send to a lot of my leaders.
I send that book because it’s about ego.
And really, in order to be a phenomenal leader, a phenomenal executive, a phenomenal leader in your own life, for other people, for the community, you have to learn how to manage that ego.
That’s really what it comes down to. That’s the only way that we can serve others.
It’s the only way that we can lead positively, we can coach, mentor is: understanding how to quiet the ego.
To shut it down and remove it from situations, so that we can move forward in a positive light with big picture.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Reminds me of… I was having this conversation a couple of days ago with another guest on what servant leadership really is.
And he was saying… “It’s not about being a doormat. It’s about serving something that’s much bigger than yourself.”
Okay. Question number five: What free resource would you like to share with the audience to help them?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
So I mean, since we talked about emotional intelligence, I’d love to give our emotional intelligence kit.
It’s totally free, but it’s about 18 pages of “What is emotional intelligence? What are the 18 competencies? What are the four pillars?”
And then a ton of practices they can use right away, because we got to be able to make it tangible, right. We need to be able to apply it and put it into practical strategy.
So I’d love to give that. It’s at riseupforyou.com/eqkit.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay, great. So question number six: What should I have asked you that I didn’t?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
What’s the number one challenge is for professionals in the workspace?
Andrew Hryniewicz
So what is the number one challenge for professionals in the workspace?
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Confidence…
Confidence is the number one challenge for professionals in the workspace.
In the last six months, we’ve assessed over 1,000 professionals. 82% of them said that their top challenge was confidence related.
Yeah, it’s big.
That’s imposter syndrome. Self doubt. Perfectionist mindset. Not being able to make the ask. Not being able to raise the hand, to speak up, to take risk, put their best foot forward. Self sabotage. So that’s a big one.
And it’s really the first step to being, you know, a great leader. To being, you know… really stepping into our potential, is breaking down that confidence… and understanding why we have some of the beliefs that we do about our own value.
Andrew Hryniewicz
And that actually reminds me of… we have a problem here in the UK with a prime minister who is supremely confident, but terribly incompetent.
But, because he is so confident, he brings a lot of people along with his not very good ideas.
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Yeah, I mean… the research is showing that 80% is confidence that’s gonna get you the job. The other 20% is, you know, technique doesn’t matter.
At some point, everybody has the same amount of competency, right?
If I have two technical engineers or senior engineers in the room, and they have the same resume at the end of the day? It’s the technique that is mundane.
It’s like… “Now who’s the person that has the confidence? That can make the app? That can speak up, that has presence? So that’s really what trumps technique.
Andrew Hryniewicz
I had a boss that used to say, “You hire for attitude because skills can be developed.”
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Absolutely.
Andrew Hryniewicz
Okay. Well, that’s perfect Nada, thank you so much for your time today.
Nada Lena Nasserdeen
Absolutely. Thank you, Andrew.
Narrator
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