The EQ Movement - Webinar Series

Join The EQ Movement, our live webinar series, to learn valuable EQ skills and insights, discuss current workplace trends, and share best practices with industry experts, thought leaders and experienced learning and development trainers.

Friction Unfiltered

Friction Unfiltered: A Live Conversation with the Authors

9:00 am PDT/12:00 pm EDT
September 23, 2026

Friction is everywhere in leadership. It’s the conversation you’d rather avoid, the tension you can’t quite resolve, the change people are resisting, and the system that makes everything harder than it needs to be.

We often treat these moments as problems to eliminate. But what if they’re actually where some of our most important leadership happens?

To celebrate the release of Friction, join TalentSmartEQ CEO Howard Farfel for a candid live conversation with authors Maggie Sass, PhD, and Ross Blankenship, PhD.

Instead of another presentation about leadership, we’re taking the conversation behind the book. Maggie and Ross will share what surprised them most while writing Friction, the leadership assumptions they’ve reconsidered, where friction still challenges them personally, and what they hope leaders will do differently after reading the book.

We’ll also put their thinking to work on real friction. Bring the challenges you’re navigating and hear Maggie and Ross respond to situations submitted live by the audience.

Join us to:

  • Discover what Maggie and Ross learned, and unlearned about leadership, while writing Friction
  • Explore how to recognize what a moment of friction is asking of you
  • Hear practical perspectives on real leadership challenges submitted by attendees
  • Walk away with one thing you can do differently the next time leadership gets hard

Come for the conversation. Bring your leadership challenge. And help us celebrate the launch of Friction.

Difficult People, Team Drama, and Workplace Friction

Difficult People, Team Drama, and Workplace Friction: What Great Leaders Do Differently

9:00 am PDT/12:00 pm EDT
October 22, 2026

Every workplace has friction. People disagree. Personalities clash. Tensions rise. But when does normal workplace friction cross the line into destructive or toxic behavior, and what can leaders do to keep it from undermining their teams and results?

Join Maggie Sass, co-author of Friction: How Tension, Emotion and Change Reveal Better Leaders, and workplace culture expert Catherine Mattice, founder and CEO of Civility Partners and author of Navigating a Toxic Workplace For Dummies, for a candid conversation about one of the toughest challenges leaders face: navigating difficult people, unhealthy behaviors, and the everyday friction that can erode trust and performance.

Workplace friction can lead to better ideas, stronger decisions, and meaningful change. Or it can spiral into dysfunction, damaged relationships, and toxic behavior. The difference often comes down to how leaders recognize and respond to it.

In this session, we’ll explore:

  • How to distinguish productive friction from destructive or toxic behavior
  • The warning signs that everyday tension is becoming a bigger team or culture problem
  • Why leaders sometimes tolerate or avoid difficult behavior
  • How emotional intelligence helps leaders manage their own reactions and respond more effectively to challenging people and situations
  • Practical ways leaders can address unhealthy behavior, establish accountability, and turn friction into an opportunity for stronger teams

Whether you’re dealing with one difficult personality, recurring team drama, or broader culture challenges, you’ll leave with practical strategies for addressing friction earlier and creating a healthier, more productive workplace.

On Demand EQ Webinars

Learn How to Embrace Change & Tackle Tough Conversations with EQ

Whether you're looking to enhance your ability to adapt in times of change or improve your communication in high-stakes conversations, take this opportunity to learn how EQ can transform your approach to daily challenges and drive success.

Learn to Build Resilience and Listening Skills Through Emotional Intelligence

Take this opportunity to learn how emotional intelligence can enhance your ability to listen deeply, foster stronger connections, and build resilience to navigate workplace challenges.

Emotional Intelligence & Workplace Performance

Join us to learn how the foundational skill of EQ has immediate and positive impact on key competency areas that are critical to workplaces.

EQ in Action: Navigating Workplace Challenges with Emotional Intelligence

Applying an EQ lens to develop these critical skills is important for achieving individual success, building high-performing teams, and driving the health and growth of your business.

Harnessing Sales Success with the Power of Emotional Intelligence

Join us for an insightful discussion on how Emotional Intelligence (EQ) can be a game-changer for sales teams, fostering stronger client relationships and driving revenue.

Elevating Higher Education: The Role of Emotional Intelligence

Join us as we explore how emotional intelligence is shaping our interactions and experiences, from classrooms to staff meetings.

The AI-EQ Connection: Leveraging Emotional Intelligence for More Effective AI

Join us as we discuss the exciting possibilities that arise when we combine the strengths of human empathy with the power of artificial intelligence.

How EQ is Revolutionizing Law Enforcement

Join us as we explore the transformative power of Emotional Intelligence (EQ) in law enforcement, focusing on the groundbreaking EQ work happening in West Virginia and beyond.

Elevating Teams with EQ: Insights from Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0

Join us to learn how to enhance your team's emotional intelligence and drive success through improved collaboration and understanding.

Emotional Readiness: How EQ Prepares and Protects Our Military

Join us to hear first-hand accounts of how EQ programs have been successfully implemented in the military and the transformative outcomes they've yielded.

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