Why Emotional Intelligence Matters for Educators

The Harvard EdCast

Janet Patti and Robin Stern joined forces decades ago when they recognized the crucial role of emotional intelligence for school leaders. How educators understand and manage emotions can positively impact the entire school community, contribute to better leadership, well-being, and resilience. The problem though is that for many education leaders developing emotional intelligence is low on the to do list.

“People can burn out. People can be exhausted. And we hear that from leaders. It really takes a bite out of well-being when you're constantly in the state of emotion labor and you're not attending to that,” says Stern, a senior advisor for the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence.

High rates of stress and turnover in school leader positions only point to more need for emotional intelligence training in leadership development. In their book “Emotional Intelligence for School Leaders,” they push for social-emotional learning as a required skill for school leaders. They also share how educators can develop a conscience practice incorporating emotions, and how coaching and professional development can only help sustain educators in the field.

“Many people just see it as, ’I'm not going to spend my money on me.’ That's number one. I'm not going to spend my money on adults. I'm going to spend it where we need it on kids. We understand that,” says Patti, a professor emeritus at Hunter College. “But if they only realize that by the investment in the principals and the assistant principals and even the superintendent who also is not faring well in terms of long lasting, they would have such a different outcome. Such a more productive environment. Kids would be able to achieve. Adults who would be happy going to work. It would be a different world.”

In this episode, we discuss the need for training in emotional intelligence, sharing real-life examples of leaders who have successfully integrated these skills into their roles, and how it can change a school culture.