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Lagos traffic will test your patience, but nothing drains faster than a toxic workplace.

Imagine spending 2 hours in traffic, only to walk into an office where tension hangs heavier than NEPA's blackouts. That’s not business management; that’s emotional mismanagement.

Now imagine Chioma, one of your best performers, avoids eye contact because last week Tunde, her team lead, embarrassed her in front of everyone during a presentation. She hasn’t said a word since. Seyi, who used to be the life of brainstorming sessions, now quietly scrolls Jobberman during work hours. You even overheard him telling a colleague, “This place no dey worth am.”

From the outside, your company looks fine. KPIs on the board. Clients still signing contracts. Staff still showing up. But you can feel it, a slow bleed. Talented people checking out emotionally, managers pretending they’re fine while drowning, and you wondering why productivity keeps slipping no matter how many strategy retreats or Excel trainings you sponsor.

Here’s the hard truth: it’s not more strategy documents your company needs. It’s not another “team bonding” weekend at Epe Resorts.

What your people desperately need is an emotional reset. Because strategy fails in the hands of emotionally exhausted people. And you can’t expect creativity or loyalty from a team that’s just trying to survive the day without clashing with their boss.

That’s where Emotional Intelligence (EQ) comes in. Imagine if Tunde, the team lead, knew how to give Chioma feedback without breaking her spirit. Imagine if Chioma had the tools to speak up without fear. Imagine if Seyi’s frustrations could be heard and resolved before he starts attending interviews on his lunch break.

That’s not fantasy. That’s what happens when you embed EQ into your business management. It transforms “staff” into teams and “bosses” into leaders.

We’ve seen it before. One of our clients, a logistics company in Lagos, was losing staff so fast HR couldn’t keep up. In a single year, 35% of their people walked away.

Three months after integrating Emotional Intelligence coaching and leadership training, they not only retained their best people but also saw project completion rates rise by 40%. Why? Because when people feel understood and respected, they don’t just clock in; they show up with energy.

And it’s not just anecdotal. Global studies show that nearly 90% of what separates successful leaders from average ones isn’t technical skill — it’s EQ.

Now, pause and think about your own team. If Chioma keeps shrinking, if Seyi keeps job-hunting, if Tunde keeps leading with blind spots… what will it cost you in one year?

It’s time to act. At Pause Factory, we help organisations pause, reset, and grow through EQ-driven business management.

Start today:
Register to join the next cohort for our Emotional Intelligence Certified Professional (EICP) program via www.pausefactory.org/eicp and equip yourself and your team with the tools to transform your workplace.

Because in the end, it’s simple: better emotions, better business.