Insights · Leadership and people management
When technical ability is not enough
Imagine two managers with similar technical knowledge, training and experience. Both know commercial targets and financial indicators, but one responds defensively to criticism while the other listens and investigates. Leadership effectiveness depends not only on technical decisions, but also on how people are treated and how difficult situations are handled.
Two managers can understand sales targets and financial indicators equally well but react very differently to conflict. Technical competence supports decisions; emotional awareness may influence whether people can discuss problems openly and act constructively under pressure.
Imagine the first manager reacting to unexpected criticism by blaming the team, while the second asks questions, clarifies the facts and agrees corrective action. Neither response changes the figures already recorded, but the second creates better conditions for learning and ownership. Understanding one's response is a practical leadership competence, not a claim about personality.
What is emotional intelligence?
Emotional intelligence is commonly discussed as the ability to perceive, understand and use emotional information and to regulate behaviour appropriately. Research includes ability-based models and other measures that are not interchangeable. Popular accounts should not be mistaken for a single universally accepted diagnostic test.
Emotional perception: recognising emotions in ourselves and others.
Emotional understanding: identify the causes, combinations and evolution of emotions.
Emotional regulation: manage emotional responses appropriately in the circumstances.
These abilities are not identical to friendliness, optimism or a particular personality type. They involve recognising emotional information and reasoning about it appropriately. A leader can use them to understand a tense meeting while still applying objective evidence and clear standards to the underlying business decision.
Self-awareness as a starting point
Self-awareness means identifying the situations that trigger strong reactions. Pressure to meet targets or unexpected criticism can distort judgement when a manager does not recognise their own response. Reflection, feedback and a pause before major decisions can help separate the issue from the immediate emotional reaction.
Consider a director whose target has been missed. Noticing a tendency to interrupt colleagues or raise their voice can help the director ask what information is missing before deciding. The goal is not to eliminate emotion but to avoid letting an immediate reaction distort the analysis of causes.
Managing emotions does not mean hiding them
Regulation does not mean suppressing emotion or maintaining a permanent appearance of calm. It involves choosing an appropriate response when anger, anxiety or disappointment is present. A manager can address misconduct firmly without humiliation, and acknowledge uncertainty without losing responsibility.
In a difficult results meeting, acknowledge that the situation is serious, show the figures and explain what is known and what remains uncertain. Invite relevant evidence from the team, then agree responsibilities. Concealing concern can be as unhelpful as communicating it in a way that produces fear without direction.
Empathy: understanding others while maintaining standards
Empathy involves trying to understand colleagues' perspectives and circumstances. It supports clearer communication and can reveal obstacles that numbers do not show. It does not mean avoiding difficult feedback, lowering standards without reason or agreeing with every request. Fairness combines understanding with explicit expectations.
However, Explore Empathy: understanding others while maintaining standards
A collaborator may be under pressure because of conflicting deadlines or unclear instructions. Listening makes it possible to identify the difficulty and decide what support or change is reasonable. Accountability continues to apply: explain what must be delivered and by when, and make the conditions for success clear.
Does emotional intelligence improve performance?
Some research reports positive associations between emotional intelligence measures and job performance, including reviews such as O'Boyle and colleagues (2011). Interpret findings in light of measurement differences and context. Emotional intelligence is not a guarantee of better sales, an exact prediction of leadership quality or a substitute for technical competence.
Positive associations do not guarantee causation or mean that any short training course will automatically produce better business results. Measurement tools, organisational context and job requirements all matter.
Study findings depend on how emotional intelligence is defined and measured, the professional role and the outcomes examined. Correlations cannot establish that the skill causes improved productivity in every team. Use research to guide sensible training and evaluation, not to promise an automatic percentage improvement in revenue or retention.
The Portuguese reference discusses findings beyond the 2011 meta-analysis, including analyses published in 2022. The reported relationships between emotional intelligence measures and outcomes vary by instrument, position and context; they should not be interpreted as a guarantee of causal impact.
Emotionally intelligent teams
The emotional climate of a team influences whether people raise problems, ask for help and acknowledge mistakes. If employees fear being blamed for reporting risks, important information may not reach management. Encourage constructive challenge, clear accountability and respectful handling of disagreement.
Encourage team members to raise risks early and to distinguish errors that require correction from deliberate misconduct. When disagreement is allowed, people can challenge assumptions, prevent avoidable failures and coordinate more effectively. Psychological safety is compatible with high expectations and timely follow-up.
How to develop emotional intelligence
Development starts by noticing recurring reactions and asking for specific feedback. Practice listening, conflict resolution and clear communication; examine difficult situations after they occur and test alternative responses. Training is most useful when accompanied by reflection and opportunities to apply new behaviours.
A practical development routine might include recording recurring triggers after difficult meetings, asking a colleague for feedback and trying a different response next time. Follow this with an assessment of whether the conversation produced clearer facts, agreed actions and better cooperation. Skills grow through repeated use and review.
Leading people remains a human responsibility
Data analysis and AI can help leaders understand trends and prepare decisions. They cannot assume human accountability for difficult conversations, ethical judgements or the treatment of individual employees. Responsible leadership still requires listening, transparency and ownership of outcomes.
The more useful question may be: when circumstances become difficult, does our leadership bring people closer to a solution or add another problem to the organisation?
The choice to listen, explain, challenge and support belongs to the manager even when software supplies detailed performance data. Human judgement is still needed to assess fairness, competing priorities and the consequences of a decision for the individuals involved.
Explore management and leadership resources
Leadership can be developed through practice and feedback; charisma may help influence people but does not replace judgement, accountability or trust.
Recognising effort, communicating difficult decisions, handling disagreements and supporting someone facing an unexpected situation require human judgement. Emotional intelligence is not a guarantee of effective leadership, but it can help managers engage people towards shared objectives.