Hot take: I don’t think we, as managers, get enough training on emotional intelligence. We’re expected to lead by example, navigate complex team dynamics, and handle sensitive situations with grace—but most of us are just figuring it out through trial and error. I’ve had to manage conflicts where emotions were high, and I honestly felt unprepared, even after years of experience. It’s not just about managing tasks; it’s about managing people, which is so much harder without structured support. Anyone else feel like emotional intelligence training should be a core part of leadership development?

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For real. Managing people is way more than just hitting goals. it’s about understanding and supporting them. I’ve definitely had moments where I felt unprepared for tough conversations and conflict resolution. Emotional intelligence training should be standard for leadership, not just something we pick up along the way. 100% agree with you!

There's a lot of truth to what you're saying. And some organizations do provide conflict resolution training. But when you get down to it, learning it as you go is the only way to really learn some of these skills. It's the experience, not what a trainer can tell you, that will be truly valuable going forward.

Agreed that we’re not adequately trained for this. I wince when I look back at how poorly I handled so many situations when I first started managing 13 years ago. I’ve learned a lot over the years - some simply by being thrown into situations and muddling thru (learned some hard lessons that way, and it certainly wasn’t fair to my directs), finding strong mentors who’ve seen a thing and can provide helpful advice, as well as doing my own learning. A few of my favorite resources over the years: The Coaching Habit book, Courageous Conversations book, and Manager Tools podcast (I last used this a decade ago, so can’t attest to current content but it was the best “training” I had as a new manager).

One of the biggest complaints I have historically heard on this topic is leaders feeling like they were pushed into mgmt. with no formal training. In reality, there is no training and it really boils down to leadership development (individual /organizational). As for emotional intelligence, unless your company values this or sees a severe deficit that impact productivity or fiscal gain and is willing to implement L&D programs internally, you can only hope that this is a criteria for hiring/promotion.

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