DUBUQUE, Iowa - Joshua Freedman, co-founder and chief executive officer of Six Seconds, the global non-profit dedicated to teaching people how to use emotional intelligence (EQ), will deliver the Fall 2025 Michael Lester Wendt Character Lecture at 7:00 p.m. Monday, October 6, 2025, in John and Alice Butler Hall, Heritage Center, University of Dubuque.

The lecture, titled "From Me to We: Developing Character for the Common Good," is free and open to the public. Tickets are not required.

Across cultures and generations, people have wondered what makes for a good life. In this lecture, Freedman will draw on research in emotional intelligence, leadership, and character development to suggest a paradoxical answer: the path to fulfillment is not found in pursuing our own success alone but in dedicating ourselves to something larger. As CEO of Six Seconds, Freedman has worked with communities and organizations worldwide to put these ideas into practice. The Six Seconds Emotional Intelligence Assessment (SEI), used by over one million people, includes a measure of Pursing Noble Goals. Freedman said results from the assessment show a concerning decline: down 7.7 percent since 2019, including a 12 percent drop among Gen Z. Against this backdrop, Freedman argues that Noble Goals are not only a practice of character but a pressing need for our time.

"It is precisely in this movement beyond self that we discover deeper joy, stronger connections, and the possibility of flourishing together," Freedman said.

One of the world's top experts on using emotional intelligence to improve performance, Freedman owns the EQ Network group on LinkedIn with over a million active members and is a master certified coach. He is an adjunct instructor for Columbia Teachers College Summer Principals Academy and Antioch University's doctoral program in Educational and Professional Practice with a specialization in Social Emotional Learning. Freedman also teaches professionals around the world practical tools to measure and create value with emotional intelligence.

Freedman leads the world's largest study of emotional intelligence, with breaking research dropping later this year. He is also the author of seven emotional intelligence books, including the best-selling At the Heart of Leadership: How to Get Results with Emotional Intelligence. His eighth book, Emotion Rules, is coming soon. Freedman has helped hundreds of organizations, including FedEx, Qatar Airways, the US Navy, P&G, Microsoft, Intel, Amazon, HSBC, and the United Nations, use emotional intelligence to get better results. His work leads to a people-centered culture that strengthens leadership, sales, employee wellbeing, retention, and renovation.

The lecture is presented by UD's Wendt Center as part of its vision to cultivate good character and lives of purpose for the common good in an ever-changing world. Guest lecturers in the fall and spring draw on their own lives of purpose to illuminate the pressing issues of our time and the diverse virtues-such as integrity, courage, justice, compassion, and practical wisdom-that guide us in meeting them.

For more information, please contact the Wendt Center at 563.589.3440 or [email protected].