TalentSmartEQ, the world’s leading provider of emotional intelligence solutions, announces the launch of Leading Through Friction™, a new leadership development program helping leaders recognize, navigate and leverage the tension, pressure and conflict that define modern work’s most challenging moments. This half-day, facilitator-led experience is now available virtually, in-person, and through TalentSmartEQ’s trainer certification program.
Based on Friction, a new book by Maggie Sass, PhD and Ross Blankenship, PhD, planned for an August 2026 release, the Leading Through Friction program teaches leaders how to manage and leverage friction to drive improved alignment, stronger relationships, smarter decisions and better organizational performance. Participants will gain the knowledge needed to turn friction into a leadership advantage.
“TalentSmartEQ has spent two decades helping organizations build emotional intelligence,” said Howard Farfel, TalentSmartEQ CEO. “The Leading Through Friction program takes everything we know about EQ and applies it to the moments leaders struggle with most. Every leader understands friction because they live it every day. This program gives them a framework to stop managing around it and start using it.”
Built on a fundamental reframe, friction is not an obstacle to effective leadership, it is where effective leadership is tested, developed, and demonstrated to improve organizational performance.
“When leadership breaks down, it’s rarely a skills deficit in ideal conditions,” said Maggie Sass, PhD, co-author and program architect. “It happens when pressure is high, the stakes are real and the situation is emotionally charged. Leading Through Friction provides leaders with the framework and practical strategies to turn these moments into something more productive.”
Leading Through Friction is available now at talentsmarteq.com.
About TalentSmartEQ
TalentSmartEQ® is the world’s premier provider of emotional intelligence solutions. TalentSmartEQ’s training programs, EQ assessments, and coaching services make an impact at every level of an organization, from leaders and teams to individual contributors, transforming cultures to drive individual performance and organizational success. They have worked with more than 75% of the Fortune 500 across a range of industries from healthcare and technology to manufacturing, financial services, and education. Their #1 best-selling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, has sold more than 3 million copies and is widely recognized as the standard resource for developing emotional intelligence at work.
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