Optimism about the Canadian economy is down significantly amid views the country is becoming less competitive, according to a survey of professional accountants in leadership positions by Chartered Professional Accountants of Canada (CPA Canada).

Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and leadership are two concepts so ubiquitous in workplace lexicon that they are thrown around with the assumption that: 1) we all know what they mean, and 2) we all agree on their definition. But do we? More importantly, are we really practicing them? Decades of behavioural research has shown that leadership and EQ cannot exist without each other - and when done correctly, they really are the same thing.

More than ever, employees want a leader whom they can trust and whose values and character are evident in everything they say and do. In short, they want to be led by a person who is genuine, who is authentic.