Featured Content
AWS re:Invent: Emotionally intelligent leadership for an AI-powered future
As leaders create and navigate a future fueled by AI, they need to reimagine their leadership approaches, integrating their cognitive intelligence with their emotional intelligence to build adaptable, resilient, and innovative organizations. These leaders will have deep empathy for their customers and foster a culture of creativity and psychological safety among their employees. They will be data-driven but also authentically human. This session helps executives understand the EPIC attributes that empower future-ready leaders—empathy, purpose, inspiration, and connection—so they can drive successful outcomes for their businesses, their customers, and their people in the new human + AI era.
In this episode, Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, and I explore the critical role of emotional intelligence in the workplace, I share my personal journey from low EQ to becoming a leader in EQ development, and practical strategies for leaders to manage their emotions and support their people to build adaptable, resilient, and innovative teams.
Corporate EI Initiatives: Interviews with Daniel Goleman
Daniel Goleman and Matt Lippincott interview Richard Hua, Global Strategist & Innovation Evangelist for AWS. Rich has been instrumental in delivering Emotional Intelligence (EI) training to more than 100,000 employees across many parts of Amazon. Check out out this 3-part series of mini-interviews.
AWS Executive Insights | Conversations with Leaders:
Emotional intelligence in the Age of AI
In this episode of "Conversations with Leaders" from AWS Executive Insights, I talk about the emotional-social skills needed to succeed with Generative AI. Research shows that EQ is just as important as IQ when it comes to innovating with AI. Leaders need to manage complexity and ambiguity extremely well and personally cultivate an adaptable mindset. They also need to create a culture of psychological safety that maximizes trust, intelligent failure, and productive disagreement to effectively drive rapid experimentation and transformation across their organizations.
Interview on the Silicon Valley Podcast: Emotional Intelligence with Rich Hua
In this edition Silicon Valley Podcast, host Shawn Flynn interviews Richard Hua, Global Head of EPIC Leadership and Innovation Evangelist at Amazon Web Services (AWS), to discuss:
👉 What is the Amazon “6 pager” and how it is used to propose a new idea?
👉 What are the 4-pillars of innovation?
👉 What is “Day 1” of the internet?
👉 How should someone train their mind to make it through tough times?
And much more... 💎Tune in on Apple Podcasts
Watch on YouTube
Keynote Videos
AWS re:Invent: Emotional Intelligence Can Supercharge Innovation
Innovation requires more than just IQ and technical skills. It’s a cognitive process, but it’s also an emotional one. Research has found that innovation has more to do with determination, grit, and psychological safety than it does with pure intellect. These are squarely in the realm of emotional intelligence. This session will help you learn how to tap into this often-underrated side of your brain and supercharge your focus, creativity, and innovation.
AWS re:Invent 2024: Emotionally intelligent security leadership to drive business results
Elevate your leadership and learn to align security needs with strategic business outcomes, spearhead impactful transformations, and cultivate a sustainable security culture. Get an inside look how AWS and its customers lead security with empathy, translate security purpose into results, inspire innovation, and foster connections to improve positive escalation culture. Uncover proven strategies to overcome people challenges, empower security champions, and achieve scalable security success. Become empowered to lead with precision, acquire the art of connecting security objectives to meaningful business impact, and steer your organization toward a future where security is a catalyst for success and resilience.
Podcasts & Interviews
Moonshot Podcast: EQ vs IQ: Who Survives the AI Revolution?!
In this episode, we discuss EQ vs IQ: Who Survives the AI Revolution? As we face the Future of Work, many leaders are secretly terrified of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and feel like they are drowning in new technology. Our instinct is to run faster. But I explain why "hustle culture" is biologically making us stupider—and why trying to become a machine is guaranteeing your failure in the AI Revolution.
Maximize Life Podcast: Optimal and Peak Performance with Rich Hua
In this episode of Maximize Life with Shruti Rustagi, I talk about the key principles that have helped me thrive and succeed in life and career.
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Resilience Spotlight: Rich Hua on the power of EQ to thrive through change and uncertainty
Chris Anselmo interviews me for the Hello Adversity! blog. We talk about my career journey, my most recent role as Chief EQ Evangelist at Amazon, and how emotional intelligence can help us thrive through change and uncertainty. For the last 17 years, Chris has lived with the effects of a rare neuromuscular disease, and he writes about how to face life’s storms with clarity, courage, and hope.
Harnessing Stress: Leadership's Secret Performance Lever
In this LinkedIn Live event, Bruce Eckfeldt, interviews me and neuroscientist Paul Zak, as we explore how leaders can transform stress from burden to breakthrough. We’ll redefine stress, share management tools, and show how smart stress fuels motivation and innovation. Tune in to learn about rest cycles, resilience in a fast-paced world, and why technically-minded leaders need emotional intelligence to lead effectively.
The Engineer Whisperer Podcast
In this fascinating conversation, I share what made me pivot and choose to transition from relying only on my cognitive intelligence (IQ) to succeed to finding value in emotional intelligence (EQ). A key component of my journey was my view on friendship. Learn how this simple mindset shifted how I have been creating growth and emotional wealth for me and my family. “It’s a myth that IQ and EQ are mutually exclusive. You need both. Long term success, even in very technical roles as engineering, is actually achieved more by the emotional-social side than just the IQ side.”
The Switchboard Podcast: On A Mission to Start an EQ Revolution
In this interview with Julia Levy, I talk about:
- The Power of Emotional Intelligence (EQ): My journey highlights the importance of EQ to augment personal and professional success.
- Personal Growth and Transformation: My story is a testament to the potential of becoming better every day to find your path and reach your dreams.
- When Passion and Purpose Align: Pursue your ikigai and you never know what surprising professional path might result!
CivilTalk - The EQ Revolution: Richard Hua on Leadership, Civility, and Business Transformation
CivilTalk sits down with Rich Hua, a global leader in emotional intelligence and innovation. Together, we discuss the impact of emotional intelligence on leadership, the challenges of integrating EQ into corporate culture, and the role of civility in fostering high-performance workplaces. Richard also shares insights on measuring EQ’s impact, overcoming skepticism in business, and the intersection of AI, ethics, and emotional intelligence, exploring how businesses can ensure AI aligns with human values.
In this interview from the 2024 Mindful Leadership Summit, Rich Hua talks with Mo Edjlali, Founder and CEO of Mindful Leader, about how he started an EQ revolution at Amazon and empowered 400,000 leaders with essential leadership (aka social-emotional) skills. This initiative has now spread outside Amazon and has impacted thousands of organizations on every continent.
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Trends Talk: Interview with Sarah Sladek
Sarah Sladek is a futurist, author, speaker and founder of XYZ University. Her podcast dives deep into the forces that are driving change in the next generation. We discuss the power of EQ for career success, how to better manage stress and increase resilience, and strategies to manage conflict and grow your influence at work.
Innovation Ambassadors: The Human Side of Innovation
In a rapidly evolving technology landscape, discover how emotional intelligence (EQ) can unlock the path to innovation success.
Join Innovation Ambassador host, Sara Armstrong, in this special episode as she interviews David Lynch, Group Chief Technology Officer at bolttech, and Rich Hua, Worldwide Head of EPIC Leadership at AWS. Together, they explore the critical role of empathy, purpose, inspiration, and connection in driving innovation.
Media Archive
AWS re:Invent - The Innovator's Mindset: Building Adaptable and Resilient Organizations
Culture can become your most powerful differentiator. Over the last 20+ years, Amazon’s peculiar culture has been linked to not just how we use technology or structure teams, but also the consistent application of core mechanisms resulting in sustained innovation and resilience. But innovation is not only a cognitive process—it’s also an emotional one. This session provides a unique perspective on building a resilient innovation culture and discusses how to balance technical and emotional skills to empower talent and create long-term agility. Learn how to tap into this often underrated side of your brain to supercharge your own focus, creativity, and innovation.
Interview on Partnering Leadership Podcast: How to Become a More Emotionally Intelligent Leader
Studies and surveys show the significantly higher performance of individuals and teams with higher EQ (emotional intelligence). And you know the great news, WE CAN improve our emotional intelligence!
In the conversation, we talk about the four core skills of emotional intelligence as well as the EPIC Leadership program. Through my own life story and example, I show that emotional intelligence can be developed.
Want to improve your chances of success? How about focusing more effort on improving your and your team's EQ?
Listen to Podcast
Watch on YouTube
Interview on the Empathy Edge Podcast: Starting an EQ Revolution at Amazon
So…your leaders and colleagues could all improve their emotional intelligence, or EQ, to better collaborate - and you want to change your company culture for the better - but where the heck do you start? Podcast host, Maria Ross, talks with Richard Hua, Global Head of EPIC Leadership at Amazon. Rich's personal journey from self-professed non-emotionally intelligent person to where he is today will inspire even those of you who (falsely) believe you'll never be good at this stuff! He shares how he intentionally built those muscles through self-reflection, coaching, and learning. We discuss the state of EQ and empathy in the corporate world and what talent is now demanding from leaders. He shares how we created his current role and started this movement at Amazon - still a work in process but already having a profound impact - and he will inspire you as he did me, with tips to do the same in your organization. Where is EQ headed in our workplace world? Let's find out!
AWS re:Invent: Emotional Intelligence to Supercharge Success
Professional success requires more than just IQ and “hard” skills. Research has shown that emotional intelligence actually accounts for the majority of your long-term success, even in technical roles. It’s the ability to remain calm under pressure and resilient in the face of adversity. It’s leading with empathy and inclusivity. It’s bringing out the best in others. In this session, learn how to increase your emotional intelligence so you can empower greater success for yourself and the people around you.
Emotions at Scale: Interview with Marc Brackett
Join us for this conversation with Rich Hua, global strategist and evangelist for Amazon Web Services who's also spearheaded a company-wide effort to invest in emotional intelligence. With over 1.3m employees and a business that spans e-commerce, cloud computing, groceries and entertainment, Amazon is operating at a scale that's hard to comprehend. And, so many emotions!
Rich talks with Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence (and Oji Life Lab co-founder) and our Head of Learning, Andrea Hoban. Rich will talk about how he kick-started EI efforts at Amazon and will share his tips on how you can engage your organization in emotional intelligence training...even if you don't have a million employees.
Extreme Career Pivots and Emotional Intelligence
Ethan Evans, Amazon veteran and VP of Twitch Prime, interviews Rich Hua about his extreme career pivot and how EQ played a key role in his professional success. After getting a degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science from Cal Berkeley, Rich served as an evangelist and counselor for churches in mulitple parts of the world for 23 years, and then he moved back into the tech world as a solutions engineering manager. He now serves as a Principal Worldwide Strategist and Innovation Evangelist for AWS.
Emotional Resilience: How to Thrive in Uniquely Stressful Times
With COVID-19, recession, social isolation, and less-than-ideal work environments, we are facing an unprecedented amount of stress in our lives. Would you like to manage your stress more effectively? Do you want to be grittier in the face of adversity? Would you like to boost your confidence in uncertain situations? Do you want be healthier—mentally, emotionally and physically? If you answered “yes” to any of these questions, then be sure to attend this session on how to develop emotional resilience in stressful times. With emotional resilience, you can do more than just survive…you can thrive!
More Than A Paycheck: Interview with Rich Hua - Principal Global Strategist and Founder of EQ@Amazon
Join me this personal and inspiring conversation with Lindsay Buchan. She says this about me "As someone that’s been kicked out of preschool, received an education from a top school, became a Pastor, and is an Engineering genius, he’s learned so much along the way. List and learn from one of the greats."
LinkedIn Podcast with Lisa Earle McLeod
Bestselling author Lisa Earle McLeod and Amazon's Rich Hua discusses how to find and sustain emotional resilience. You'll learn how to be mentally buoyant and the technique for stress management used by Navy SEALs.