Richard Boyatzis

Emotional Intelligence Expert • Leadership Coach • Bestselling Author

Videos

Richard E. Boyatzis is Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University and a Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science. His more than 200 scholarly and 50 practitioner articles examine sustained, desired change, leadership, emotional intelligence, competency development, coaching, neuroscience and graduate education. He is ranked in the top 2% in PLOS Biology and the top .05% of all worldwide scientists by Scholar GPS for 2023 – 2025. His Coursera MOOCs have over 1.5 million visitors and have enrolled participants from 215 countries. His 10 books include the international best-seller Primal Leadership with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee and Helping People Change with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten. His most recent book is The Science of Change: Discovering Sustained, Desired Change from Individuals to Organizations and Communities.

The Science of Change is the synthesis of 58 years of research and the relevant work of just under 2,000 other scholars into a unifying multi-level fractal theory, Intentional Change Theory (ICT). It has been praised as “an invaluable resource for those looking to navigate the turbulent waters of personal and professional growth” (Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach and author of NYT best sellers The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There).

“Change is a fact of life and we all need to master it. Richard Boyatzis’s wonderful new book, The Science of Change, distils a life’s work of research into a set of evidence-based principles that govern enduring transformation in people, teams, organizations, and communities. Packed with insights from statistical studies and real-life events, this is your one-stop guide to the science of change.”

—Herminia Ibarra, The Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior, London Business School

Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth presents a positive mode of coaching and shows how “coaching with compassion” helps people to think creatively and to learn and grow in meaningful and sustainable ways. It was named the Coaching Book of the Year 2020 by Henley Business School.

Boyatzis has consulted for many Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and organizations in the Americas, Europe and Asia on various topics including executive and management development, organization structure, culture change, R&D productivity, economic development, selection, promotion, performance appraisal, and career planning.

He has won many awards at CWRU for research, teaching, and service. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Sciences, he has a PhD and MA in Social Psychology from Harvard University and a BS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

Richard E. Boyatzis is Distinguished University Professor of Case Western Reserve University and a Professor in the Departments of Organizational Behavior, Psychology, and Cognitive Science. His more than 200 scholarly and 50 practitioner articles examine sustained, desired change, leadership, emotional intelligence, competency development, coaching, neuroscience and graduate education. He is ranked in the top 2% in PLOS Biology and the top .05% of all worldwide scientists by Scholar GPS for 2023 – 2025. His Coursera MOOCs have over 1.5 million visitors and have enrolled participants from 215 countries. His 10 books include the international best-seller Primal Leadership with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee and Helping People Change with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten. His most recent book is The Science of Change: Discovering Sustained, Desired Change from Individuals to Organizations and Communities.

The Science of Change is the synthesis of 58 years of research and the relevant work of just under 2,000 other scholars into a unifying multi-level fractal theory, Intentional Change Theory (ICT). It has been praised as “an invaluable resource for those looking to navigate the turbulent waters of personal and professional growth” (Dr. Marshall Goldsmith, Executive Coach and author of NYT best sellers The Earned Life, Triggers, and What Got You Here Won’t Get You There).

“Change is a fact of life and we all need to master it. Richard Boyatzis’s wonderful new book, The Science of Change, distils a life’s work of research into a set of evidence-based principles that govern enduring transformation in people, teams, organizations, and communities. Packed with insights from statistical studies and real-life events, this is your one-stop guide to the science of change.”

—Herminia Ibarra, The Charles Handy Professor of Organizational Behavior, London Business School

Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth presents a positive mode of coaching and shows how “coaching with compassion” helps people to think creatively and to learn and grow in meaningful and sustainable ways. It was named the Coaching Book of the Year 2020 by Henley Business School.

Boyatzis has consulted for many Fortune 500 companies, government agencies and organizations in the Americas, Europe and Asia on various topics including executive and management development, organization structure, culture change, R&D productivity, economic development, selection, promotion, performance appraisal, and career planning.

He has won many awards at CWRU for research, teaching, and service. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology and the Association for Psychological Sciences, he has a PhD and MA in Social Psychology from Harvard University and a BS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from MIT.

The Science of Inspiring Others to Learn and Change
The latest research in neuroscience is helping us understand the mechanisms of how various forms of leadership affect a person’s openness to new ideas, change, and learning. fMRI studies show that relationship-focused compassionate leadership activates the neural networks that promote receptivity, while problem-focused compliant leadership activates neural networks that encourage resistance. The key is emotional intelligence. Leaders with high EI create and nurture resonant relationships through mindfulness, hope, compassion, and playfulness. These experiences of mindfulness, hope, compassion, and playfulness are essential to the renewal of people at the neurological, hormonal, emotional, and behavioral levels. In this presentation, Professor Richard Boyatzis will explain the cumulative findings of decades of research that supports leading to activate the Positive Emotional Attractor (hopes, dreams, possibilities, and strengths) rather than to activate the Negative Emotional Attractor (present reality, fears, problems, and shortfalls). The evidence shows how this form of compassionate leadership benefits the leader as well. Through real-world examples from reducing the psycho-physiological effects of chronic stress to greater patient adherence to diabetic treatment, your audience will understand the central role of compassion in motivating sustained, desired change in others.

Resonant Leadership
When you envision a great leader, what comes to mind? Always available, first one in the office, last one out, puts the organization above everything else? If so, it may surprise you to realize you’re envisioning a five-star recipe for burnout that has little to do with excellent leadership. The best leaders, research shows, are resonant leaders. Resonant leaders are attuned to the needs and dreams of people they lead, create conditions where people can excel, and are self-aware, motivating, and collaborative. They are also able to sustain their effectiveness through physical, mental, and emotional renewal — combatting stress, avoiding burnout, and encouraging their teams to do the same. In this talk, you’ll uncover the path to resonance through building emotional intelligence and connecting with others through mindfulness, hope, and compassion. You’ll walk away with the inspiration and tools to take your leadership to a new level.

Fostering Balance and Restoration with the Personal Sustainability Index
Stress is inevitable in life. What matters is that it doesn’t become the overwhelming force in your day-to-day. To live vibrantly, you must find balance in stress and renewal. That is, of course, easier said than done. Perhaps you’ve tried your share of pop culture’s self-care suggestions to no avail and are at your wit’s end. It’s time to find personalized solutions backed by decades of scientific research. Created by emotional intelligence experts Richard Boyatzis and Daniel Goleman, the Personal Sustainability Index (PSI) allows you to assess the different sources of stress in your life, how much and how often they impact you, and discover the best path to renewal for your specific situation. When we prioritize balance and renewal, “We can think again, love again, and can do all the things that make life worth living,” says Boyatzis. Renewal activities — as simple as laughing with loved ones, cuddling a pet, spending time in nature, or volunteering — can reverse the damage done by stress, healing the body and bolstering the spirit. Flexible in its application, the PSI can be used at the organizational level as a pulse check for workplace culture and as a guide to better supporting employees, and at the individual level for those seeking to build healthy and fulfilling lifestyles.

The Science of Change: Discovering Sustained, Desired Change from Individuals to Organizations and Communities (Oxford University Press, 2024)
Helping People Change: Coaching with Compassion for Lifelong Learning and Growth with Melvin Smith and Ellen Van Oosten (Harvard Business Review Press, 2019)
Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence with Daniel Goleman and Annie McKee (Harvard Business Review Press, 2016)
Becoming a Resonant Leader: Develop Your Emotional Intelligence, Renew Your Relationships, Sustain Your Effectiveness, with Annie McKee and Fran Johnston (Harvard Business Review Press, 2008)
Resonant Leadership: Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope, and Compassion with Annie McKee (Harvard Business Review Press, 2005)

Selected Articles

2025: Doctoral Teaching and Mentoring Award, Weatherhead School of
Management, Case Western Reserve University
2025: Ranked in the top .05% of global scholars (Highly Ranked Distinguished
Scholars), Scholar GPS
2025: Ranked in the top 2% of all scientists, worldwide, in all fields,
Stanford/Elsevier
2024: Awarded membership in Sigma Xi, The Scientific Research Honor Society
2024: Academic Ace Award: Woxsen University, Hyderabad, India
2023: Coaching Legend Award, Thinkers 50
2023 Christopher J. Peterson Gold Medal, International Positive Psychology Association
2022 Lifetime Achievement Award, Academy of Management Organizational Neuroscience Division
2022: Top 2% of scientists in the world by citations, PLOS Biology
2021: Top 50 Coaches Worldwide, Thinkers 50
2020 Lifetime Achievement Award for Contributions to Leadership Coaching, Coaching at Work
2020 Fellow, American Psychological Association
2019 Fellow, Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology
2019: Thinkers 50, included in the Top 50 Coaches Worldwide, and awarded #1
Coach Academic Influencer award
2019: WSOM Enduring Impact Research Award
2018 Vision of Excellence Award for the Science of Coaching, Institute of Coaching
2017 Archer Lifetime Achievement Award, Crain’s Cleveland Business
2017 Ph.D. Honoris Causa, ESADE and Ramon Llull University
2017: International ISIPM Award for distinctive research in Project
Management
2016 Fellow, Association of Psychological Science
2014 and 2012: #9 in a ranking of International Thinkers in
HR, HR Magazine
2007: Case Western University John Diekhoff Award for
Graduate Student Teaching
2003: Weatherhead Executive Education Teaching Award
2002: Weatherhead Alumni Association David Bowers Faculty Service Award
1999: Weatherhead Research Award
1996: Weatherhead Theodore M. Alfred Distinguished Service Award