Preview: Harvard Professor Linda Hill on Emotional Intelligence in Action

Summary

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Leaders with Francine Lacqua

Episode Preview: Harvard Professor Linda Hill on Emotional Intelligence in Action
Date: August 11, 2026
Host: Francine Lacqua (Bloomberg)
Guest: Professor Linda Hill, Harvard Business School

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Episode Overview

In this preview episode, Francine Lacqua offers a sneak peek into her upcoming interview with Professor Linda Hill—renowned Harvard Business School faculty member, leadership expert, and author. The focus is on what truly makes a leader successful, particularly through the lens of emotional intelligence. They explore the core characteristics of great leaders, the nature of tough decision-making, and how AI might impact future leadership in the C-suite. Linda Hill brings real-world examples from her work with top executives and companies such as Pixar, grounding her insights in research and practice.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

The CEO’s True Purpose & Emotional Intelligence

• It's not about personal gain:
  Linda Hill emphasizes that effective leaders see themselves as serving the enterprise rather than seeking personal privilege.

  • “It’s not about them. So I almost always start by saying think about not the rights and privileges that come with being a CEO, but the duties and obligations.”
    — Linda Hill [02:32]

• Visible concern for the bigger picture:
  People respond to leaders who show genuine investment in the organization's wider mission.

  • “People can tell if you care… because you’re going to make many unpopular decisions, or I shouldn’t say unpopular, controversial decisions because they’re tough decisions to be made and you’re going to have to deal with trade-offs and they want to know about your character.”
    — Linda Hill [02:44]

• The necessity of connection:
  A leader’s ability to connect with others is the foundation for successful organizational co-creation.

  • “If you can’t connect with people, then they’re not going to want to be, as I talk about now, not so much as following you, but co-creating the future with you.”
    — Linda Hill [03:09]

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Feedback and the Senior Leader’s Dilemma

• Feedback declines with seniority:
  As leaders rise to the top, honest feedback from colleagues becomes scarce, which can impact self-awareness and group dynamics.
  • “As you become more senior, people don’t give you feedback.”
    — Linda Hill [04:49]

Leadership Examples: Steve Jobs & Ed Catmull at Pixar

• Awareness of group dynamics:
  In discussing leaders from the tech industry, Hill references Steve Jobs’ unique self-awareness and deep relationship with Ed Catmull at Pixar.

  • “There would be times when Steve being in the room was not going to be possible because he was going to throw off the dynamic too much… Other times, you needed him there.”
    — Linda Hill [03:59]

• Emotional Intelligence in Action:
  Ed Catmull is highlighted for his exceptional emotional intelligence, knowing both people and situations well enough to optimize team function—even if it meant keeping Jobs out of certain meetings.

  • “Ed has unbelievable emotional intelligence on every dimension, but he knew how to… what the dynamics would be of a group… if they had certain decisions to make and he thought it’s not the right mix, then he had no problem saying to you, Steve, you can’t come.”
    — Linda Hill [04:17]

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Leadership in the Era of AI

• Are AI-era leaders different?
  Francine Lacqua presses on whether leaders in AI-driven fields (Sam Altman, Elon Musk, Dario Modet) redefine executive roles.

  • “Is it different if you’re an AI? … They’re not traditional chief executives in that sense.”
    — Francine Lacqua [03:22]

• Comparisons with tech icons:
  Though Hill hasn’t directly studied these figures, she connects the conversation to her research on Pixar and Apple, illustrating that leadership essentials—emotional intelligence and group dynamics—remain critical, even in technology’s upper echelons.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you can’t get that connection going, that’s when you know there’s going to be a failure.”
  — Linda Hill [03:18]
• “Most action that happens is collective action.”
  — Linda Hill on Steve Jobs’ understanding of teamwork [03:47]
• “Steve, you can’t come.”
  — Linda Hill quoting Ed Catmull’s ability to set boundaries with Jobs [04:26]

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Key Timestamps

• 01:41 — Francine Lacqua introduces Linda Hill and frames the topic of leadership redefined.
• 02:32 - 03:22 — Linda Hill outlines the mindset, character, and connective skills essential to great leadership.
• 03:22 - 04:57 — Discussion on whether tech and AI executives represent a new kind of leader, with stories from Pixar and Apple.
• 04:57 - 05:14 — Preview wraps up, inviting listeners to tune into the full conversation next week.

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Tone & Style

The conversation maintains a thoughtful yet accessible tone, blending practical leadership wisdom with candid observations from research and real-world experience. Linda Hill’s language is direct, clear, and focused on tangible behaviors rather than abstract theory, while Francine Lacqua’s questions steer the discussion toward contemporary relevance and the future of leadership.

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For listeners and leaders alike, this episode preview promises actionable insights into the heart of successful leadership—with lessons from boardrooms, innovation labs, and beyond.

Transcript

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[Francine Lacqua]

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[Francine Lacqua]

Hi everyone, I'm Francine Lacroix, and we have another great, great interview in the Pipeline for the Leaders with Me Francine Lacqua Podcast.

[Bloomberg Tech Announcer]

Now.

[Francine Lacqua]

Next week I'm speaking with Linda Hill, professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and faculty Chair of its Leadership Initiative. Hill has advised some of the world's biggest companies through her consultancy, Paradox Strateg, and she's also written some of the defining books on leadership and innovation, including Genius at Scale and Becoming a Manager. Throughout this season on the podcast, I've been asking industry leaders how they've navigated big decisions, managed crises, and built successful organizations. So in this conversation, I turned that idea on its head. I use my time with Hill, someone who has spent an entire career studying leadership, asking what actually makes a great boss, what characteristics are indicators of success, and how she thinks artificial artificial intelligence could shape the next C suite generation.

[Linda Hill]

What you need is you need CEOs who fundamentally know that they're there for the enterprise. It's not about them. So I almost always start by saying think about not the rights and privileges that come with being a CEO, but the duties and obligations. And people can tell if you care, if you actually do are concerned about the bigger picture or not, because you're going to make many unpopular decisions, or I shouldn't say unpopular, controversial decisions because they're tough decisions to be made and you're going to have to deal with trade offs and they want to know about your character and then fundamentally, do you know how to make connection? If you can't connect with people, then they're not going to want to be, as I talk about now, not so much as following you, but co creating the future with you. And if you can't get that connection going, that's when you know there's going to be a failure.

[Francine Lacqua]

Is it different if you're an AI? So I'm thinking of Dario Modet, Sam Altman, Elon Musk. They're not traditional chief executives in that sense.

[Linda Hill]

I have not studied them specifically, but they don't appear to be. So they would strike me in some ways. You know, when I was doing the work at Pixar, obviously Steve Jobs was someone who was deeply admired. Now Steve Jobs and people have a point of view about Steve Jobs. So Ed Catmull, who's brilliant, was one of the co founders. Everyone tells me there's no one who knows Steve Jobs better than him. And two of my business partners worked with Steve Jobs for many years. And one of the things that Steve Jobs understood is that most action that happens is collective action. There would be times when Steve being in the room was not going to be possible because he was going to throw off the dynamic too much. Not because he couldn't behave well necessarily, but because other people would be uncomfortable with him, so he would remove himself. Other times you needed him there, right? So again, being aware and him trusting Ed well enough to say, not this meeting. And Ed has unbelievable emotional intelligence on every dimension, but he knew how to. If you think about the stars they had at Pixar, he understood people and what they needed and didn't need and what the dynamics would be of a group if a certain mix was there and if they had certain decisions to make and he thought it's not the right mix, then he had no problem saying to you, Steve, you can't come. But as you become more senior, people don't give you feedback.

[Francine Lacqua]

That was a bit of my conversation with Linda Hill, professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and faculty chair of its Leadership initiative. So be sure to listen to it when it comes out next week.

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The Bloomberg this Weekend podcast. News, politics and the lighter side of

[Podcast Guest / Commentator]

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[Linda Hill]

The food one cracked me.

[Podcast Guest / Commentator]

So you can buy items, but they're never gonna arrive.

[Francine Lacqua]

Buy items?

[Podcast Guest / Commentator]

Yeah, it wants you to feel.

[Linda Hill]

You just wanna fill that cart.

[Podcast Guest / Commentator]

Yeah, fill the cart. It makes you feel good.

[Linda Hill]

Does it?

[Vrbo Advertiser / Bloomberg Podcast Promoter]

The Bloomberg this One weekend podcast. Subscribe today on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.