A Business Model for Emotional Intelligence Integration:
The Framework for Human-Centric Startup Success
My name is Anne, and I integrate emotional intelligence frameworks into business models. I’m not an HR person (more on this later). For now, consider this:
➡️ What action plan do you have to bridge the gap between what you offer and what you are known for? Not having that action plan will cause your profits to go on a diet. I sincerely doubt your profits want to fit into a pair of skinny jeans.
➡️ If your action plan is not bridging the gap between what you offer and what you are known for, what three specific actions will you take to remedy the situation? These actions must be measurable and achievable action steps.
➡️ What resources outside of money do you need to achieve your action plan? If you said “Nothing.” you must really like skinny jeans.
➡️ Who will be responsible for overseeing the implementation of your action plan? We both know it can’t be you because you’re already spread thin.
➡️ When will each action step be implemented? Don’t tell me you believe in yo-yo diets. If you don’t have a deadline, it won’t happen.
➡️ How will progress be monitored to make sure your strategic goals get achieved? And who will externally* hold you accountable? *Externally means someone outside your pond. Fish that swim together drink the same water. That is why we need someone outside our pond to hold us accountable.
While you are chewing on your answers, let me share an analogy that can befit a tech startup or larger company.
The Sapling Story
The sapling knew the fittest trees had been bent and twisted by the elements. Instead of breaking, they adapted.
Yet, all trees start as saplings.
What determines the ones that will reach for the sky and those that will be trodden underfoot?
The sapling knew many other similar trees had been planted but never built strong roots.
How many startups are planted in a given year, vying for the sunlight of success, only to find themselves getting crushed under the foot of tech giants and volatile markets?
The sapling decided to take it all in and consciously decided to grow into a strong tree.
Article Content
This article addresses three common issues startups face and provides emotional intelligence (EI) solutions for their business model. We will explore what it takes to nurture the roots of a startup to give it the resilience and agility it needs to reach for the sky.
The Three Issues Startups Commonly Face:
- In-Fighting
- Stunted Growth
- Ignoring the Elements
The Three EI Framework Solutions Offered Here:
- Building a healthy root system
- Pruning to reveal hidden opportunities
- Bridging the implementation gaps
P.S. This article is a precursor to a series of articles that will explore in depth each issue and solution discussed here.
Issue #1: In-fighting
Imagine a sapling fighting against itself. That’s what in-fighting is for many startups.
It clouds judgment and creates environments where people don’t know how to trust, communicate, or collaborate. Picture this: team members are unsure of their roles and responsibilities. Looks familiar?
Think of the implications.
How effectively can team members work together when in-fighting is the norm? How cohesive can a business model remain when its key resources don’t trust one another?
EI Solution: Building a Healthy Root System
Let’s explore how cohesive your business model is.
➡️ As a business, what is it that you do? What is it that you are known for?
What you do are your products and services. What you are known for is what your customers/users say about you.
If what you do and what you are known for do not match, your business model has implementation gaps.
➡️ As a team leader, what is it that you emotionally do? What is it that you are known for?
Would your team members vouch for you as an emotionally intelligent leader? Vouching shows emotional understanding.
Recommendation:
Take each segment of your business model and pass it through this wind test: What human-centric value do you bring to this segment?
For example:
A human-centric approach to teams has EI processes that
✅ Value healthy conflicts — innovation is born outside of conformity
✅ Clarify workflows — What is needed to feel supported at work?
✅ Strive for transparency — Who holds you accountable?
Issue #2: Stunted Growth
A sapling adapts by feeling the quality of its roots, soil, trunk, branches, and internal structure to deliver the nutrition it needs. However, many companies follow an adapt-or-die mindset. That makes them prone to hasty decisions, exhaustion, and harm to their reputation.
Do you understand how quick decisions can harm the future of your company? Quick decisions may solve immediate problems but overlook their underlying causes.
Stunted growth lacks a long-term vision.
EI Solution: Pruning to Reveal Hidden Opportunities
Pruning involves making deliberate decisions that uncover hidden growth opportunities. Let’s explore your strategic objectives.
➡️ What are the top three strategic goals you aim to achieve in the next three years? How do these goals align and build upon each other?
➡️ Identify the hurdles the startup must overcome to reach these objectives. Which products or services need refining or removal to clear the path for growth?
➡️ What EI skills must your company embody to achieve its strategic goals? Do you need more critical thinking? Open communication? Transparency? Accountability?
Recommendation:
Ready to harness Emotional Tech© to ride the AI wave effectively? Ask to receive our free questionnaire by emailing anne@financialeq.coach. Unlock insights to
✅ Assessing Current State
✅ Strategizing beyond the near future
✅ Defining a clear challenges/solutions roadmap, and more
Issue #3: Ignoring the Elements
If an acorn sapling based its growth on an apple tree, it would come up short. An acorn is not an apple. And yet, many startups base their growth strategies on copying companies having a vastly different internal structure and strategic aim than they do.
There is a difference between not reinventing the wheel and copycatting a business formula that may not be in integrity with the kind of human-centric values you aspire to.
Let me bring it home for you.
A cohesive business model is human-centric. It values every one of its segments and provides what is needed for each segment to thrive.
You can’t ignore the elements.
Ignoring the elements can lead to poor product development/placement and poor customer satisfaction/trust.
Like I said earlier, I sincerely doubt profits want to fit into a pair of skinny jeans!
EI Solution: Bridging Implementation Gaps
The most glaring implementation gaps are often right under our noses.
For example, many startups treat their CRM (Client Retention Model) as a game of musical chairs. Whoever gets the gig applies whatever tactics that might yield some short-term results.
Let me ask you.
➡️ What is the quality of your CRM? How congruent is it with your long-term strategic objectives? I hope for you you don’t have any dead branches anywhere.
But just in case you need a gentle reminder:
Implementation gaps cost. They exist because the elements were ignored.
Recommendation:
Be willing to hire an EI integration specialist with a background in emotional intelligence, finance, and economics to assist you and your teams. “I know a really great one.”
In conclusion:
✅ And there you have it — an EI framework for startup success.
✅ Don’t let your profits squeeze into skinny jeans — they deserve better!
✅ Take action now to bridge the gaps, prune away the obstacles, and embrace the elements with savvy emotional intelligence.
Let’s turn your startup into a towering success story.
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I trust you found value in this Emotional Tech© article in The Curious Leader. Leave a comment below and please subscribe to The Curious Leader channel.
Anne Beaulieu
Emotional Tech© Engineer
Human-Centric AI Advocacy | Generative AI | Responsible AI
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