FOLLOW YOUR EFFORT: USING EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE FOR OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE

After 30 years as a sales professional, leader and executive, I found Emotional Intelligence.  That is the secret ingredient I needed to give life to my career, my family and most importantly, to myself.

Emotional intelligence is a game changer.  And it is the foundation of Follow Your Effort. 

Follow Your Effort is a concept I conceived over a decade ago.  Why?  Because “Effort” is the most common word used to describe the most powerful noun used by America’s top CEO’s and most successful professional coaches and athletes.

If you listen to clips, or read articles about high performers, you always hear effort as the word they attribute to success.  Why?

• Effort is “Friction”, the spark that generates action
• Effort inspires others, raises expectations
• Great Effort is highly regarded and admired by others. 
• Outcome is irrelevant to Effort.

Was the original impact of “Follow Your Effort” successful when applying it to sales divisions I was leading, or youth sports teams I was coaching?  Yes indeed.  However, it was not a holistic approach to the individual.

That’s how Emotional Intelligence has elevated Follow Your Effort into a game changing program.  Not just increasing sales, but building a more complete individual that will contribute and impact others in a positive way.

Why Effort Matters More Than Dreams

Dreams and emotions are important, but they’re also unpredictable. Following your heart can leave you at the mercy of moods or setbacks. Following your dreams can trap you in the idea stage.

But effort always produces results. Even small, consistent actions compound into momentum, confidence, and success.

Research backs this up:

• A Harvard Business Review study on performance showed that deliberate practice and effort contribute twice as much to long-term success as innate talent.
• Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck’s research on the growth mindset proves that people who value effort over “natural ability” not only achieve higher performance but also show greater resilience in the face of setbacks.
• Gallup surveys show that employees who focus effort on strengths are six times more engaged and three times more likely to report excellent quality of life.

When you follow your effort, you follow the data of your own life—what you actually commit time, energy, and focus toward.

How Emotional Intelligence Elevates Effort

Effort is the engine of achievement—but when combined with Emotional Intelligence (EI), it becomes a supercharged force for growth.

What is Emotional Intelligence?
Psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer, and later Daniel Goleman, defined EI as the ability to recognize, understand, and manage your own emotions—and influence the emotions of others. In business and life, EI often predicts success more accurately than IQ or technical skill.

Why does this matter for effort?

Because effort without awareness can lead to burnout, strained relationships, or wasted energy. But when effort is guided by EI, it becomes smarter, more sustainable, and more impactful.

Emotional Intelligence Multiplies Effort By:

• Providing Self-Awareness – EI helps you identify not just what you’re good at, but how your emotions affect performance. This ensures your effort is channeled into the right areas, not sabotaged by blind spots.
• Fueling Self-Regulation – Effort requires consistency, but life brings setbacks. EI gives you the resilience to manage stress, recover quickly, and keep moving—turning challenges into growth opportunities.
• Boosting Motivation – Research from TalentSmart shows that 90% of top performers score high in EI. They don’t rely on moods for effort; they align actions with purpose.
• Strengthening Empathy & Relationships – Effort is rarely solo. EI helps you connect, influence, and inspire others. That means your effort multiplies through collaboration and trust.
• Sharpening Decision-Making – EI improves judgment under pressure, ensuring effort is applied where it matters most.

Case in Point: Effort + EI at Work

Consider two sales professionals:

• Alex puts in massive effort—cold calls, networking events, endless follow-ups. But Alex lacks EI. He doesn’t read client signals well, misses emotional cues, and pushes too hard. His effort often exhausts him without building real trust.
• Maria also puts in effort—but she layers in EI. She listens deeply, notices client concerns, and adapts her approach.  She has strategy, standards and a plan.   Her effort builds not just sales, but loyalty and referrals.

Both work hard, but Maria’s effort + EI compounds into exponential results.

The Golden Rule: Don’t Overthink—Just Act

Once you’ve set standards and created a plan, stop second-guessing. Thinking invites doubt. Action breeds clarity.

As Dale Carnegie put it:

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy.”

This is the essence of Follow Your Effort.

Why It Works

• Effort builds momentum. Each small win creates confidence.
• Effort compounds. Like interest, consistent actions multiply results.
• Effort creates identity. You stop being a dreamer—you become a doer.
• Effort + EI multiplies influence. You not only achieve more—you elevate others.
• Effort invites opportunity. The world responds to people in motion.

Gregg Vanourek, author and leadership coach, outlines over a dozen benefits of being action-oriented, including confidence, courage, learning, and serendipity. Simply put: action changes everything.

Final Thought

Dreams and emotions will always inspire us, but they can’t guarantee progress. Effort does.

And when you add Emotional Intelligence to the mix, effort transforms from raw energy into strategic, sustainable, and people-centered success.

So, the next time you’re unsure of your path, don’t ask, “What’s my dream?” Ask instead:

👉 “Where am I already putting effort—and how can I double down with greater awareness?”

Because effort never lies. And if you follow it—with emotional intelligence—success will follow you.

At Follow Your Effort, we believe success isn’t reserved for the most talented—it’s built by those willing to put in consistent, focused effort. If you’re ready to raise your standards, sharpen your focus, and develop the emotional intelligence that fuels sustainable growth, connect with us today.

Sources & References

• Gallup. State of the American Workplace Report. Gallup, 2017.
• Dweck, Carol S. Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House, 2006.
• Goleman, Daniel. Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ. Bantam, 1995.
• Loh, Kep Kee & Kanai, Ryota. Higher Media Multi-tasking Activity Is Associated with Smaller Gray-Matter Density in the Anterior Cingulate Cortex. PLOS One, August 2014.
• Bradberry, Travis & Greaves, Jean. Emotional Intelligence 2.0. TalentSmart, 2009.