For federal government contractors, 2025 has been a year of relentless turbulence. Budget cuts, shifting agency priorities, and the most recent government shutdown have tested every leader’s capacity for calm under pressure. In this environment, technical excellence alone isn’t enough. What sustains teams is emotional intelligence (EQ). EQ helps federal leaders navigate complexity, maintain trust, and inspire confidence even when funding or missions shift overnight.
Amid this upheaval, The Building People, a Leesburg, Virginia–based federal contracting firm with more than 450 employees, continues to grow by focusing on its mission of integrating technology, efficiency, and human performance. The company’s services span engineering, facilities management, and professional support across multiple federal agencies. Guided by the philosophy of “smarter buildings, smarter people, smarter solutions,” The Building People has established a culture that values not only operational excellence but also the emotional awareness and adaptability of its workforce.
Emotional Intelligence Drives C-Suite Communications
“The foundation of emotional intelligence training at The Building People began with my own professional journey,” said Saima Malik, Senior Vice President of Human Capital and Chief Human Capital Officer. Early in Malik’s career, she participated in an EQ workshop from Dr. Travis Bradberry. “When I took that quiz and then read the book, I realized the majority of what I was doing at work was very emotionally based.”
She discovered the power of self-awareness and self-management and how to persuade senior leadership with logic. Malik explained, “When you're in a situation and you're trying to articulate a point, you've got to pause, you've got to listen to your audience, you've got to really put logic over the emotion in order to get your message across.”
Those lessons shaped her leadership philosophy and ultimately the people strategy of The Building People. “What we've done here is taken the concept of emotional intelligence and really embedded that into our processes, our policies, and our training,” she said. “If we're doing a training that talks about how to engage your employees, you're going to see a lot of tools and tips built on a foundation of emotional intelligence.”
Today, Malik’s approach to leadership communication—anchored in both empathy and logic—has become a model for how HR leaders can influence the business strategy of federal contracting organizations. Her emphasis on EQ helps leaders navigate tense discussions with clients, support employees through shifting workloads, and foster collaboration across technical and operational functions that don’t always speak the same language.
Assessments and Manager Meetups to Grow EQ Skills
At The Building People, developing self-awareness and social awareness begins with a behavioral assessment called the Predictive Index. This assessment measures four core behavioral drives—Dominance, Extraversion, Patience, and Formality. Each employee receives a report that describes their natural behavioral tendencies and provides insights about how they are likely to behave in different workplace situations. This awareness of your own tendencies and the tendencies of your colleagues can be used to improve communication, align team dynamics, manage conflict, and adapt leadership styles.
The company’s leadership development model centers on learning through dialogue. “Once a month we have a manager series and we talk about the roles as leaders,” Malik said. “We’ll address a current topic, like the shutdown, offer some information on how they can address the situation with their team and how they can show up as a leader.” The monthly Manager Series is complemented by a Manager Community of Practice program that focuses on developing business acumen and helping leaders connect the dots between emotional awareness and operational outcomes.
The Building People’s approach reflects a broader shift among federal contractors who are recognizing that leadership effectiveness isn’t driven by technical expertise alone. In complex environments where decisions must align with both government protocols and private-sector performance standards, emotionally intelligent leadership helps bridge the gap between compliance and creativity.
Building Resilience with EQ
This year has tested every organization’s ability to adapt, and for The Building People, their resilience has been grounded in EQ. Malik encourages her team to acknowledge the stress and frustration that naturally come with shifting budgets and contract uncertainty, while also focusing on forward motion. Instead of suppressing emotion, she teaches that emotional awareness and reflection are the foundation of strength. “Have those feelings, process those feelings,” she said. “It's what you do with your feelings next that really makes a critical difference.” By recognizing the challenges and then choosing thoughtful, constructive action, Malik believes teams can “come back better, come back bigger, come back stronger.”
If Malik could design the ideal emotional intelligence program, she would offer EQ workshops twice a year for all management staff and invite external speakers to talk about how EQ has helped them. She would supplement the in-person workshops with book clubs and other events to reinforce key lessons.
Looking Ahead: Growth Through Adaptability
Even amid a volatile federal landscape, Malik remains optimistic. “The thing that's most exciting about the company right now is that we are more than halfway through one of the more difficult years of government contracting,” she said. “Our CEO, Lawrence Melton, reminds us that it isn't just about generating revenue or trying to keep a certain contract. It's about building a long-term relationship.”
That focus on relationships—both inside and outside the organization—is what sets The Building People apart. By embedding EQ into its culture, the company equips its teams to handle uncertainty with composure, to listen before reacting, and to make decisions that strengthen trust with both clients and colleagues. For Malik and The Building People, emotional intelligence is a survival strategy in an industry defined by change.
