#114 Sales & Pepper Podcast | #1 Leadership Skill in 2026: Emotional Intelligence 🧠

#1 Leadership Skill in 2026: Emotional Intelligence 🧠In this episode of Sales & Pepper, Dominic Klingberg sits down with Stephanie Herre, leader at EcoVadis, to discuss what will truly differentiate great leaders in the coming years: Emotional Intelligence.As AI takes over more operational tasks and organizations face increasing pressure, leadership is no longer about authority or control. Stephanie shares why emotional intelligence is becoming a decisive performance factor — especially in high-growth, high-stress environments — and what leaders must unlearn to stay effective.This episode is a must-listen for founders, executives, and managers who want to lead people, not just processes.👉 In this episode, you’ll learn:Why emotional intelligence is the most important leadership skill for the futureHow pressure and uncertainty expose weak leadershipThe difference between empathy and effective leadershipWhy trust and psychological safety drive performanceHow emotionally intelligent leaders handle conflict and feedbackWhat leadership needs to look like in the AI era🔥 Key Insights / Hot Takes:“Emotional intelligence is not a soft skill — it’s a leadership multiplier.”“Pressure doesn’t build character, it reveals it.”“People don’t leave companies, they leave leaders.”“Leadership without emotional intelligence doesn’t scale.”🧠 Who should listen to this episode?Founders & Co-FoundersExecutives & Senior LeadersSales & Revenue LeadersManagers building and scaling teamsAnyone preparing for leadership in 2026 and beyond⸻📲 Subscribe & never miss an episode:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@SalesPepperPodcast?sub_confirmation=1Connect with Stephanie on LinkedinConnect with Dominic on Linkedin💡 Bonus: Get 50 free Kickscale meeting analysesKickscale automatically records, analyzes, and pushes insights from sales calls directly into your CRM — enabling better coaching, forecasting, and leadership decisions.👉 https://www.kickscale.com/lp/partnership-sales-and-pepper⸻Transparency Notice / Ad Disclosure:This episode contains paid partnerships.Our partners Kickscale and HubSpot support the Sales & Pepper podcast.All opinions shared are independent; partner mentions are part of the collaboration.