On October 2nd, Lipstick & Politics held the latest installment of our Leadership Salon Series at the Battery titled “Emotional Intelligence And Government.” With the midterms on our minds, we wanted to explore the connection between emotional intelligence and political leadership, especially during such divisive times. We were joined by four amazing experts who provided insight on this particular topic: San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, President and CEO of Silicon Valley Leadership Group Carl Guardino, Close The Gap CA’s Executive Director Susannah Delano, and POPVOX’s CEO and Co-founder Marci Harris.

There were many key takeaways from the evening, but the biggest was the importance of relationships in politics. Healthy and empathetic relationships allow for people to see the humanity in each other, even when there are differing opinions. This is where emotional intelligence is critical in politics. It sets up a common ground for all sides which is an opportunity for compromise and to get things done. The bottom line? Cultivating these relationships between constituents and legislators as well as between fellow legislators establishes trust. And if we want to make progress in this country, we need more trust in each other and in our leaders.

We want to thank our panelists again for creating such a wonderful conversation with us. Thank you also to everyone who came out to attend our event! If you missed out, you can check out the live stream of the conversation here. Make sure to sign up for our emailer to be in the know for future L&P events!