The Unspoken Advantage: Why High-EQ Leaders Navigate Change More Effectively

Since disruption is constant and collaboration is key, the leadership skill that consistently sets successful leaders apart—but rarely makes the headlines—is emotional intelligence.

Kelly Marshall, President/CEO of Cascadia Credit Union (formerly Summerland Credit Union) and a CUES Hall of Fame inductee, is a powerful example of how emotional intelligence (EQ) can be the differentiator in leading major, complex change. My conversation with Kelly covered everything from his 35-year journey in the industry to the recent major merger, and why EQ—not just strategy—is the rocket fuel behind progress.

Why do high-EQ leaders navigate change more effectively? Because they understand that transformation isn’t just about spreadsheets or systems—it’s about people.

Emotional Intelligence & the Merger Mindset

Kelly recently co-led a three-way credit union consolidation in British Columbia. While the merger was rooted in strategic necessity—gaining scale, reducing costs, increasing sustainability, and deepening member value—its success depended largely on something less tangible: the emotional intelligence of its leaders.

Rather than rushing the process or forcing alignment, Kelly and his fellow CEOs invested time in listening. They held individual meetings with every employee across the three credit unions to understand their aspirations and concerns. It wasn’t a public relations exercise; it was a deliberate, EQ-driven decision to build trust and co-create a future that people could believe in.

Curiosity, Perspective, and the Value of Not Knowing

Kelly credits much of his leadership success to a mindset rooted in curiosity and humility. “You have to recognize that you don’t have all the answers,” he said. “You surround yourself with people who can help you see things from new angles.” That’s practical EQ at work.

Perspective-taking, a core component of emotional intelligence, was essential during the merger. Even among like-minded credit unions, differences in processes, culture, and pace surfaced. It was Kelly’s ability to tune in—to understand where others were coming from—that helped the group move forward with clarity and confidence.

By acknowledging the emotional landscape and actively engaging with it, high-EQ leaders like Kelly create psychological safety in times of uncertainty. That makes room for honesty, innovation, and shared ownership of the outcome.

Why High-EQ Leadership Works

Change brings discomfort. Resistance. Fear. Even when the change is positive. Leaders with high emotional intelligence don’t ignore these emotions—they anticipate and address them. That’s why they outperform during transitions:

• They foster trust through transparency and empathy.
• They read the room and adjust their approach, not their values.
• They stay grounded in both vision and compassion.
• They lead conversations that matter, instead of avoiding them.

Kelly’s leadership also reflects a critical shift happening across the industry: strategic planning is no longer a once-a-year exercise—it’s serious business. And it requires more than intellect; it requires presence, connection, and continuous learning.

Executive-Level EQ in Action

Ready to lead like Kelly? Here are a few ways to start strengthening your emotional intelligence right now:

• Map the Emotional Impact of Strategy
  • Before rolling out a major initiative, deliberately map the emotional curve stakeholders will experience (anticipation, resistance, fatigue, excitement).
  • Anticipate those inflection points and build communication and support strategies around them.
  • Example: If a digital transformation project will trigger fear of redundancy, proactively frame career growth and reskilling opportunities in your communications plan.
• Institutionalize “Strategic Listening Posts”
  • Beyond surveys or skip-level meetings, create systematic listening channels: rotating advisory councils, confidential “pulse groups,” or reverse mentoring with younger staff.
  • Rotate membership quarterly to avoid echo chambers.
  • Purpose: Hear emerging concerns or unspoken resistance before they become friction in execution.
• Practice Executive Vulnerability with Boundaries
  • Instead of generic “learning out loud,” selectively share stories of your own decision missteps or when your instincts were wrong.
  • Tie these stories to how you recalibrated and what data or feedback you used.
  • This models EQ without oversharing and demonstrates adaptive resilience.
• Read the Room at Scale
  • Develop the discipline of scanning organizational body language: an uptick in meeting declines, slower email response times, drop in voluntary participation.
  • Treat these signals like you would financial KPIs—they are early indicators of engagement risk.
• Operationalize “Pause Points”
  • Build structured reflection pauses into high-stakes initiatives.
  • Instead of racing from kickoff to execution, schedule midpoint EQ reviews: “Where’s the team’s energy? What’s being said in the hallways? What’s the emotional undercurrent we need to name?”
  • Normalize surfacing these intangibles alongside project metrics.
• Enroll in Development that Stretches Your Leadership
  • Programs like CUES Facilitated Workshops help deepen self-awareness and enhance executive-level EQ. 

The Bottom Line

EQ is a survival skill. Even more than that, it's a leadership multiplier. Kelly Marshall didn’t co-lead a complex merger successfully in spite of emotions, but rather because they made space for them. That’s the unspoken advantage of emotionally intelligent leadership: it moves people, and when people move together, change becomes not just possible—but powerful.