Raise Your EQ Culture: Long-Term Actions
Jun 08, 2025
Today’s anxious work environment makes it hard for you to see much further than your nose. It drives you to band-aid fixes for difficult work challenges.
How’s that working out for you?
Last week, I shared with you that Ed Friedman’s book, Generation to Generation, mentored my development as a positive work culture architect. His first positive work truth we talked about is to separate yourself from the anxiety at work.
His second positive work truth is to avoid short-sighted actions. That requires a commitment to goals beyond the horizons that everyone else sees.
In short, you play the long game.
“But Dr. Joey,” you’re thinking, “in a K-cup, Instacart, air fryer work world, that’s impossible!”
Before you insta-give-up, take 5. More specifically, take 5 morning minutes to commit to goals that are beyond the horizon your teammates see. I promise: these three activities are better for you than doom-scrolling through everyone else’s “perfect life” or tanking your attitude with news reports. In fact, it raises up an EQ culture about as good as watching cat videos! At least, according to Paul Osincup in our Work Positive Podcast conversation.
Look Within
A “commitment to goals” requires you to take three morning minutes and first look within yourself. Commitment is internal; a motivation that drives your positive work culture actions by certain core values and priorities regardless of the anxiety around you.
Think of your core values as your “Why?” and your priorities as your “What?” They anchor you regardless of the toxicity in the work culture. They emerge as your commitment-driven actions that align personal and organizational goals. Such goals are the actions that express your “Why?” and “What?”
Take three minutes each morning to look at your calendar. Look within and ask yourself, “What’s my commitment to this action?” Number it on a scale of 1-10.
Find your commitment to your goals. Act from your internal strength. Raising your EQ culture is an inside job.
Look Way Out
Second, you raise your EQ culture by looking way out, as Friedman puts it, “beyond the horizons.”
Anxiety at work pushes your head down. Your eyes focus on your feet. As in on where you’ve been. That’s a short-sighted attempt to find something to control; the classic “forest and trees” paradigm.
Look up and way out of the status quo. “Status quo” literally means, “What a mess we’re in!” Scan the horizons for what’s approaching, determine the best course headings, and set sail with commitment for the achievement of the next goal.
Take one minute in your morning activity review to ask yourself, “How can I work vision-focused today?” Then look way out beyond the short-sighted quick fixes and act to shape a positive work culture.
Raising your EQ culture means you look way out.
(For help looking way out, listen to my Work Positive Podcast conversation with Dr. Bob Johansen on future-back thinking.)
Look Weird
As you look within and way out, you’re going to look weird.
That’s right, weird.
Get used to it.
Acting weird is the path to raising up your EQ culture until it’s a positive work culture.
All great positive work culture transformations start with one person who raises their hand, says “Enough already!” and risks looking weird.
I look for the weirdos any time I’m invited to coach and architect a positive work culture. They are my people! They avoid being like “everyone else” as Friedman puts it.
They see something different because they invest three minutes each morning to find their internal commitment to goals. They take one more minute to chart their vision-focused course for the day. They refuse the herd mentality.
Get your weird on each morning. Take one minute to ask yourself, “How can I look weird and raise our EQ culture today?”
Sure, you’ll get side eye stares, experience quizzical expressions, and hear whispers as you enter and exit rooms. Receive them proudly. Wear them as merit badges of your weirdness.
Take five morning minutes to raise up your EQ culture at work with long-term actions as you look within and find your commitment, look way out and see beyond everyone’s horizon, and look weird so you grow people and profits.
What's your question about creating a positive work culture? Ask Dr. Joey here.
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