Research
The research behind our work
People are more productive when they have both the hard skills and the human skills, and when leaders see the whole person. Here is the evidence.
Human skills raise productivity
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Soft skills training returned about 250%.
In a randomized trial across five garment factories, trained workers were 12% more productive than the comparison group, with a net return of about 250% nine months after the program. Untrained coworkers on the same lines improved too.
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How a team works together beats who is on it.
Google's two-year study of 180 teams found psychological safety mattered more than talent, seniority, tenure, or team size. Teams with high safety had lower turnover, brought in more revenue, and were rated effective twice as often by executives.
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Emotional intelligence predicts performance.
A 2021 meta-analysis of 99 studies and 17,889 people found a meaningful link between emotional intelligence and job performance. A separate meta-analysis found a moderate link between leaders' emotional intelligence and leadership effectiveness, stronger in nonprofits.
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What low emotional intelligence costs
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Disengagement costs about $10 trillion a year.
Global engagement fell to 20% in 2025, the lowest since 2020. Falling manager engagement drove most of the drop.
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Rudeness drains effort.
Among people treated rudely at work, 48% decreased their effort, 66% said their performance declined, 12% left their job, and 25% took it out on customers.
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One toxic employee costs more than a superstar adds.
Replacing a toxic worker costs about $12,489, nearly double the $5,303 a top-performing employee adds. Toxic behavior also spreads to teammates.
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