Despite the awareness about Emotional Intelligence for over three decades, Gallup’s research shows that over 85 percent of employees remain disengaged from the team. A lot of this disengagement stems from leaders’ difficulties in truly connecting with their teams. Everyone knows what to do, but the real challenge in today’s world is to bridge the gap between knowing and doing. Many leaders face what is known as blind spots’, they aren’t always aware of their own shortcomings, or they refuse to acknowledge them. These blind spots can lead to rationalized, disempowering behaviors, making it difficult for leaders to develop deep self-awareness, build trust and inspire their teams.
In executive coaching, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) is becoming a game-changing method that helps leaders enhance their Emotional Intelligence by addressing psychological and emotional obstacles that impair their effectiveness. It allows them to release tension and anxiety that could affect their ability to make decisions and interact with others.
Neeraj Kumar is being recognized as a transformative figure in the world of corporate training and executive coaching, bringing a neuroscience-based approach to Emotional Intelligence (EI) and leadership development. Known for his unique blend of Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), and Lean Six Sigma, he empowers leaders to bridge the gap between knowing and doing to enhance professional effectiveness and personal growth, ultimately fostering engaged, high-performance teams that align seamlessly with organizational goals.
One of the biggest challenges Neeraj notes, is that majority of leaders lack the consistency required to turn good intentions into consistent action and cannot find fault with their behaviors, because “We judge others by how they are but judge ourselves by how we want to be. This creates a gap that many leaders fail to bridge. Traditional cognitive approaches often fall short in developing deep self-awareness and social management, two cornerstones of Emotional Intelligence”, he explains. Research suggests that these challenges are often rooted in unresolved emotional issues from childhood or past trauma, that can shape their behaviors well into adulthood.
Neeraj’s training and coaching approach is designed to address these deep-seated barriers. EFT, which combines aspects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure Therapy (ET), Emotional Acupressure, and Ayurvedic Marma Therapy, can effectively bring about cognitive shifts. By addressing the root causes of limiting behaviors, he enables leaders to cultivate genuine empathy and resilience, leading to more consistent, empowered decision-making.
A Journey of Resilience
Raised in a small village in North Karnataka, Neeraj grew up in a large, close-knit family.
He started schooling from 4th grade at a Kannada-medium school until 10th grade, so his exposure to English was quite limited. Despite these early challenges, he secured a spot in one of top engineering colleges in Bangalore. However, his transition to the city was difficult, marked by physical health issues, including asthma, and social isolation due to language barriers. A turning point came when he was publicly humiliated for his lack of English proficiency by his own classmates. That moment made him determined to change.
Learning self-hypnosis from a mentor, Neeraj not only improved his confidence and language skills but also managed to overcome his health and emotional challenges. This experience sparked his interest in human potential and behavioral transformation. After a successful career with companies such as Kennametal Widia and 3M, where he held roles with significant responsibility across India and the Asia-Pacific region, he left his corporate career in 2009 to establish Edutain Learning Systems. Currently, he works with Fortune 500 companies as an executive coach and corporate trainer, focusing on Emotional Intelligence, Executive Presence, and Influence Without Authority and Mastering Leadership Communication and Presentation Skills.
Rewiring the Subconscious
Neeraj asserts that motivation is like the fizz in a soda bottle, it’s powerful but short-lived. Real change, he argues, requires addressing the subconscious. He helps individuals identify the underlying causes of their limitations by using methods such as EFT and NLP. Rather than offering temporary solutions, Neeraj employs what he calls ‘modeling the masters,’ a process of studying successful individuals’ belief systems and strategies. He enables leaders to overcome limitations and create lasting transformation by clearing subconscious blocks like fears and past negative experiences and replacing them with empowering alternatives.
My goal is to help leaders transform at a deeper level so they can lead with authenticity and inspire their teams through meaningful connections
Neeraj’s work also focuses on developing executive presence. He states that higher-level leadership isn’t just about functional expertise. It’s about being viewed as a capable, trustworthy, and reliable role model by people at all levels up, down, and across. He adds that executive presence is about projecting competence while staying true to oneself. About 65 percent of executive presence is gravitas, decisiveness, emotional intelligence, and composure under pressure, while the rest is about communication and appearance.
The Way Ahead
Looking to the future, Neeraj hopes to expand the reach of neuroscience-based tools like EFT in the corporate world. He aims to address ‘silent stress’, a hidden factor that often leads to health issues in high-performing professionals.
In addition to his extensive in-person coaching, Neeraj Kumar has developed a series of online courses that have empowered thousands of professionals from Fortune 500 companies. These courses cover all facets of personal and professional development such as personal mastery, people mastery, professional mastery, communication mastery, presentation mastery to name a few.
“True transformation begins when we stop chasing temporary motivation and start addressing the subconscious patterns that hold us back. This philosophy has guided my journey and continues to shape my work with leaders worldwide”, concludes Neeraj.
V Neeraj Kumar, Executive Coach, Edutain Learning Systems
With over 32+ years of experience and a trainer of international repute, He specializes in NLP, EFT, Bach Flower Therapy, and the Silva Method, Neeraj has trained more than 220,000+ participants across 2,300+ programs globally. His key clientele includes Walmart Global Tech, Cisco, GE Healthcare, Toyota, Manhattan Associates, Bosch, AWS to name a few. He also helps people across various walks of life such as corporate professionals across ranks, politicians, doctors, lawyers, celebrities to name a few.
His other specializations include, handwriting analysis, hypnotherapy, Numerology and Acupressure. He has been trained by influential personalities like Dr. Stephen Covey, Anthony Robbins, Dr. Richard Bandler, and Laura Silva, and he continues to serve as a visiting faculty at prestigious institutions. He is currently pursuing a doctorate in Emotional Intelligence from Golden Gate University.
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