Susan David

Today's world, more than ever, demands emotional agility. The World Economic Forum has identified it as a critical skill for the future, and Susan's innovative concept of Emotional Agility earned her the Breakthrough Idea Award from Thinkers50, highlighting its importance in effective leadership. In this high-pressure environment, leaders and their teams face the dual challenge of adapting to a rapidly changing world, which affects work dynamics, culture, engagement, and wellbeing, while also shaping the future of work through continuous reinvention.

Effective navigation through this complexity cannot be simply decreed or strategized into existence. It hinges on the fundamental human capabilities of emotional agility.

In this insightful and actionable talk, key points include:

- The increasing need for adaptability, teamwork, customer focus, creativity, and inclusiveness in organizational culture and talent management.
- The growing complexity in organizations, often resulting in inflexibility, polarized thinking, and superficial interactions, which counters these desired outcomes.
- The indispensable role of leaders' and employees' psychological agility in achieving true organizational flexibility. -- -
- Emotional agility is crucial for individuals, teams, and entire organizations.
- Emotionally agile individuals exhibit adaptability, confronting rapid changes and challenges with openness, understanding, bravery, and a commitment to aligning actions with core values.
- Essential psychological habits that foster effective engagement, teamwork, and personal growth within organizations.
- The barriers created by fixation on thoughts, emotions, and narratives, and how they prevent individuals and organizations from flourishing.
- Strategies for acknowledging and managing challenging emotions in oneself and others.
- The shift from rigid thought patterns to a mindset of inquisitive flexibility.
- Enhancing human qualities like empathy, compassion, bravery, and connection, especially in the face of adversity and challenges.
- Strategies for ensuring the practical application of core values such as inclusivity.
- Additional vital steps to develop emotional agility skills, positioning humans as key contributors in a progressively automated work environment.

In today's challenging environment, organizations are increasingly recognizing the significance of mental health, now a prominent public health concern. With statistics indicating that approximately half of all employees experience burnout (according to WHO), and 87% report a decline in wellbeing (as per McKinsey), it's clear that workplaces globally, facing costs exceeding $300 billion, are struggling to address this crisis effectively. The wellbeing of leaders and employees is integral to every facet of organizational life, influencing teamwork, engagement, culture, and innovation. Essentially, the health of a workplace hinges on the psychological health of its people.

In her impactful and potentially transformative talk, Susan delves into the essential emotional agility skills that underpin the wellbeing of everyone in an organization. Emotionally agile individuals are adaptable and resilient, navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving world with curiosity, compassion, and courage. They make decisions aligned with their values, reflecting who they aspire to be in both life and work.

Susan challenges the conventional approach of "fixing" difficult emotions through positive thinking or enforcing employee positivity.
- Viewing emotions as mere 'soft skills' to be corrected, or promoting forced positivity, not only diminishes psychological safety, mental health, and resilience but also fosters fragility.
- Emotions should be seen as informative data, offering vital insights for adapting and responding to complex situations.
- She emphasizes the importance of so-called "negative" emotions in wellbeing and decision-making.
- Values play a critical role in safeguarding individuals from emotional exhaustion and burnout.
- Susan presents practical, science-backed techniques to foster human skills crucial for connection and thriving in complex times: courage, compassion, curiosity, emotional regulation, and values alignment.

In today's ever-changing and unpredictable business environment, fostering a workplace culture of safety and transparency through sincere communication has become more crucial than ever. Emotional agility, a process that helps individuals stay present and align their actions with their intentions and core values, is key to becoming more truthful and genuine in communication, enhancing overall wellbeing.

In her focused session, Susan, recognized as one of the world’s most influential management thinkers and a celebrated Harvard Medical School psychologist, TED speaker, and best-selling author, will delve into building emotional agility for honest conversations. Having authored the leading book on this topic, she brings invaluable insights.

During the session, Susan will cover:

- Techniques for acknowledging and embracing our emotions and those of others.
- The importance of grounding ourselves in our values and purpose.
- Strategies for approaching challenging situations and conversations with empathy and understanding.