Standard EQ training uses emotional language — “identify your feelings,” “practice empathy,” “develop self-awareness” — that analytical minds experience as subjective, unmeasurable — and forced. Plus, what’s the point, what does this have to do with performance, which in their world usually means accuracy? They’re not wrong to be skeptical; the framing is imprecise. Information Asymmetry reframes EQ as a data-gathering discipline: accessing information others have that you don’t. This appeals to engineers’ existing frameworks while achieving the same practical outcome — better understanding of human dynamics and more complete information before making decisions.
To achieve this requires a curiosity mindset, and a coaching-style approach to leadership. Empathy and positive feelings are the output of that process. And that makes sense to technical minds, especially when they see the impact on performance.
