𝗘𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗦𝗼𝗳𝘁. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝘆!

Project Managers who ONLY manage scope and timelines are easy to replace. Yep, I said it. 

BUT! The ones who are brought into strategy, design, or product meetings and the ones who teams trust are the ones who are reading the humans in the room. (The thing that AI can't do).

Here’s how I use emotional intelligence in my work and with my team:

𝗡𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗻𝗼𝗻-𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸𝘀

When a developer is unusually quiet in standups or is struggling to meet targets, I don’t just log a delay. I check in directly. 9 times out of 10, there’s a blocker they didn’t feel safe raising in front of the group.

𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗱𝗲𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆

Designers and data teams interpret feedback differently. Same message, wrong tone, and you’ve just initiated defensiveness, not progress. Emotional Intelligence helps me translate what stakeholders really mean and not just what they say.

𝗞𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗹𝗲𝘅 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀

When a team is starting to burn out, pushing through is "inefficient," and it’s a critical risk. Emotional Intelligence lets me read the team and reprioritize without losing momentum. I build flexibility into a timeline as a general rule.

𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿

Good PMs ask, "What’s the blocker?"

Great PMs ask, "What’s really going on here and let's figure this out together."

𝗧𝗟;𝗗𝗥

Emotional Intelligence isn’t a personality trait. It’s a valued skillset.

In a creative or technical environment where deadlines and demands pile up fast, it’s what keeps teams functioning and delivering.

If you’re not using Emotional Intelligence in your projects, you're not running a team; you're running a to-do list with people.