In over four decades of studying sales performance, I’ve learned this: technology changes fast—but human emotion drives everything.

We’ve all seen companies obsess over KPIs, dashboards, and deal velocity, while ignoring the quiet crisis building beneath the surface: disengaged employees, burned-out managers, and teams running on fumes.

In an age of AI, emotional intelligence is no longer optional—it’s a strategic imperative.

This isn’t just a feel-good philosophy. It’s measurable. According to SalesChoice’s latest MoodInsights™ report, organizations that actively track employee sentiment can see up to 40% lower turnover, 18% higher productivity, and 12% more customer advocacy. That’s not just engagement. That’s a competitive advantage.

Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, once told me: “The business of business is improving the state of the world.” That begins with improving the emotional state of your workforce.

Let’s be honest—how well do you really know how your people are feeling?

Dr. Cindy Gordon, Founder and visionary of MoodInsights, read Permission to Feel by Dr. Marc Brackett, Director of Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, during Covid, and sparked a vision. She recognized that the current HR practices of annual employee surveys and pulse surveys were lagging indicators versus leading indicators, and that research shows over 60% of Annual employee surveys, employees blatantly don’t tell the truth and lie. Dr. Gordon explained her reasoning:

“In a world moving at unprecedented speeds, I wanted to create a SaaS product that would heighten human connectivity and use GenAI methods and correlate diverse data sets to drive more relevancy and meaning. I also wanted to apply this innovation with SalesInsights to see if we can identify correlations with happy salespeople to higher win rates – a relatively new area of behavioral science research. With AI and advanced analytics connecting the dots is easy, it’s getting leaders to stop using outdated practices that is challenging.”

In most companies, the mood in the breakroom is more revealing than the data on the dashboard.

That’s why I’m intrigued by MoodInsights™, a simple, well-designed, and strictly anonymous AI-powered tool that lets employees check in with their emotions daily. No forms. No judgment. Just a real-time pulse on what’s working—and what’s not. They are using powerful GenAI approaches to understand what’s actionable versus not to provide systemic guidance to improve the workplace, but also to enable employees to get in touch with their own feelings.

One transportation and logistics company using MoodInsights™ saw frontline drivers voluntarily submit over 500 feedback entries during a pilot. Another, HACE, saw a jump in self-awareness and team engagement simply by asking people how they felt—and why. People want to feel connected in the increasingly hybrid work context.

It reminds me of what Mary Kay Ash once said: “Everyone wants to be appreciated. So if you appreciate someone, don’t keep it a secret.”

Mood tracking makes that appreciation possible at scale. It surfaces issues early. It empowers managers to lead with empathy. It helps organizations turn culture into a performance lever.

Of course, culture starts at the top. Richard Branson told me, “Clients do not come first. Employees come first. If you take care of your employees, they will take care of the clients.” That’s the heart of emotional intelligence in business: listening first, leading second.

Too many leaders still operate with outdated assumptions—that emotions are messy, that feelings have no place in the boardroom, that performance is purely rational. But today’s data tells a different story. Emotions drive decisions. They shape trust, loyalty, and innovation. And if we don’t track them, we lose sight of the human experience at the center of every transaction.

If you’re ready to build a more emotionally intelligent company, start with a question—not a directive. Ask your team how they’re doing. Better yet, give them a safe, anonymous, and consistent way to share it. Then act on what you learn.

Because happy employees don’t just stay—they grow. They sell. They innovate. And most importantly, they make your customers happier, too.

And that’s how you win.

👉 Ready to see how MoodInsights™ works?
Explore a live demo and discover how real-time mood tracking can elevate your leadership, your culture, and your bottom line. MoodInsights™ also integrates with SalesInsights™.

Visit saleschoice.com/mood or email hello@saleschoice.com to schedule your private walkthrough today.