Alumni Spotlight: Enin Rudel, PsyD, Leading with Emotional Intelligence

Enin Rudel, PsyD, Director, Inclusive Leadership Concentration
The average person spends 90,000 hours working over a lifetime. Dr. Enin Rudel, Leadership Psychology PsyD graduate and current director of the Inclusive Leadership concentration, challenges leaders to build healthy work environments where employees can bring their whole selves to the office or Zoom room. Something as simple as asking, 鈥淗ow was your weekend?鈥 Rudel鈥檚 research indicates, can make a big difference.
One of the major themes that has emerged through his doctoral research and organizational consulting engagements is the importance of training and coaching leaders on how to hold difficult conversations.
鈥淔ollowing the murder of George Floyd, many organizations became hyper-focused on offering training to their employees on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI),鈥 shared Rudel. 鈥淲hile awareness is key, simply being aware is not enough. There has to be a willingness to engage in potentially difficult conversations. Oftentimes, leaders feel as though they lack the skills required to engage in conversations of this nature. Fear of worsening the situation prevents them from engaging, which is problematic, because it鈥檚 these kinds of conversations that create opportunities for shared learning. It鈥檚 through these conversations that leaders ultimately gain insight, and perspective, into how their teams are experiencing the organization's culture.鈥
In addition to his teaching and leadership roles at 91香蕉视频成人在线, Rudel is the Principal and Founder of EI Consulting. The 鈥淓I鈥 in Rudel鈥檚 consulting agency stands for emotional intelligence. Through his work he aims to 鈥渃reate a psychologically safe place for people to share their thoughts, insight, and reflections on how they are experiencing their immediate work environment.鈥 His goal is to help organizations establish healthy workplace culture. He is also a senior consultant for IBIS Consulting Group, where he facilitates DEI-related trainings, provides organizational assessments, strategic analysis, and consulting to a broad range of companies including Fortune 500鈥檚.
Prior to entering the doctoral program at William James, Rudel earned a master鈥檚 degree in social work. As a psychotherapist, Rudel remarked that he repeatedly heard clients speak of the various ways they were affected by work-related stress. Their symptoms often included difficulty falling asleep, loss of appetite, and loss of interest in activities they once found pleasurable.
鈥淭here is a direct correlation between how we experience the workplace and how we feel on a physiological level, day-to-day,鈥 explained Rudel. The more he heard these narratives from his patients, the more he wanted to make a change on a systems level. 鈥淟eaders are the architects of workplace culture,鈥 Rudel continued. 鈥淭hey set the tone for employee engagement and the day-to-day experience of employees, which ultimately impacts employee engagement, retention, and job satisfaction.鈥
In 2021, Rudel, as lead author, published an award-winning article titled, 鈥淓motional Intelligence, Organizational Social Architecture, and Black Male Leadership,鈥 which was the first resource for global DEI leaders on how to elevate retention and leadership of Black male executives. As he looks ahead to his future, he is working on a book that takes a deeper dive on these topics to include the organizational experiences of a broad range of leaders. Among other topics, the book will explore the link between emotional intelligence and inclusive leadership.
Rudel practiced and studied these concepts as a student in the 91香蕉视频成人在线 classroom, through his practicum and internship experiences, and continues to do so in his professional career. He has built on his learning, bringing it back to future students and organizational leaders through writing, research, teaching, coaching, and consulting. By supporting leaders, Rudel is making a positive and lasting difference in how employees experience their workspace and ultimately, their lives.
- Tags:
- Research & Advocacy
- Profile
Topics/Tags
Follow 91香蕉视频成人在线
Media Contact
- Katie O'Hare
- Senior Director of Marketing
- katie_ohare@williamjames.edu
- 617-564-9389