Imagine it鈥檚 7:30 a.m. You鈥檙e a school leader. Your assistant has just called out sick鈥攆or the fourth day in a row.
What鈥檚 your first instinct? Fire off a frustrated text? Gossip to a colleague? Or pause, take a breath, and respond differently: Maybe I should check in and offer support.
That moment鈥攃hoosing a thoughtful response over a reactive one鈥攊s emotional intelligence in action. It鈥檚 aligning your emotions with your values and goals.
But if the last few years have taught school leaders anything, it鈥檚 to expect the unexpected and to recognize that every crisis is also a test of emotional intelligence.
Sure, managing student crises, de-escalating staff conflicts, and restoring calm has always been part of the job. But today鈥檚 challenges are on another scale. The stress has been relentless, pushing many leaders to the brink of burnout or out of the education profession altogether. Data from 2021 reveal that about 21% of U.S. adults have reported symptoms of anxiety or depression. Educators are among the hardest hit. Stress and burnout is a leading reason teachers and consider leaving the profession.
But there鈥檚 hope. A with over 7,000 糖心动漫vlog led by two of us (James Floman and Marc Brackett) at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence found that 糖心动漫vlog who viewed their school leaders as skilled in emotion regulation and in providing greater emotional support reported higher well-being鈥攂oth during a typical school year and amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
How a principal manages emotions鈥攖heir own and those of their staff (known as interpersonal regulation)鈥攊sn鈥檛 just about being 鈥渘ice.鈥� It鈥檚 about being emotionally skillful. And our research shows this skill set is a game-changer for teacher retention, job satisfaction, and school sustainability.
Crises reveal a school leader鈥檚 emotional intelligence. Some provide calm and clarity. Others let their anxiety, frustration, or fear ripple through the school community, escalating stress and uncertainty.
Emotions are contagious. When principals struggle to regulate their emotions, their staff struggle. Educators working for school leaders who are emotionally disconnected or unsupportive miss more work, feel less engaged, report more health issues, and are more likely to want to quit.
Conversely, our research found that emotionally intelligent school leaders鈥攖hose who regulate their emotions and offer meaningful emotional support鈥� with less emotional exhaustion and more positive emotion, lower intent to leave, and greater job satisfaction.
Even as far back as 1994, researchers that 糖心动漫vlog consider emotional support essential to their well-being and job satisfaction. Yet, more recent that many principals in hard-to-staff schools believed they were offering more support than their staff actually felt. The gap is real鈥攁nd closing it could keep thousands of 糖心动漫vlog in the field, healthier, and more fulfilled.
Emotional support is about helping others regulate their emotions. In principals, it can look like listening to teachers without judgment, acknowledging the emotional weight of their job, or creating a culture in which 糖心动漫vlog and staff feel safe to speak honestly because they trust their emotions won鈥檛 be used against them.
These actions may seem simple, but they鈥檙e difficult to practice consistently, especially under stress. Some may not even know what it takes to be emotionally intelligent. The good news? School leaders can learn.
But we can鈥檛 expect them to do this work alone. To begin training and cultivating emotionally intelligent principals, state and district leaders must:
- Model emotional intelligence at every level: Board members, superintendents, and other district leaders must walk the talk. When those at the top consistently demonstrate self-awareness, empathy, and emotion regulation, they set a standard for the entire system. Modeling includes how leaders respond under pressure, how they handle disagreement, and how they repair after conflict. Investing in their own emotional growth shows that emotional intelligence is not just for students or teachers鈥攊t鈥檚 a leadership imperative.
- Prioritize emotional intelligence in leadership standards: Emotional intelligence should be embedded in the competencies we expect from all educational leaders. Just as districts require knowledge of curriculum, they should require proficiency in emotion regulation, empathy, and relationship-building. These skills impact everything from school climate to staff retention.
- Fund evidence-based training: Districts must allocate resources for professional development鈥攁t all levels鈥攖hat鈥檚 grounded in science. That includes ongoing training鈥攏ot just one-off workshops鈥攖hat is scaffolded and builds leaders鈥� capacity to recognize, understand, and regulate emotions. Programs like or trainings aligned with the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning offer proven methods to strengthen emotional intelligence.
- Include emotional intelligence in hiring and evaluation: Emotional intelligence must be a factor in both selecting and assessing school leaders. Interviews should include questions that probe for self-awareness and past behavior under stress. Evaluations should measure how leaders foster a positive school climate and respond to emotional needs鈥攏ot just test scores or budgets.
The social and financial toll of burnout on 糖心动漫vlog is staggering鈥攁nd rising. But it doesn鈥檛 have to be this way.
If we want sustainable schools where both 糖心动漫vlog and students thrive, we must invest in emotionally intelligent leadership鈥攖hrough training, funding, and systemic support.
Educators have been telling us for decades: They need more than logistical fixes. They need leaders who care, who listen, who understand.
The question isn鈥檛 whether we can afford to invest in the emotional intelligence of school leaders. It鈥檚 whether we can afford not to.
Opinions are the authors鈥� own and do not reflect those of Yale School of Medicine.
