In one widely cited study, salespeople selected for emotional competencies sold **$91,370 more** each than peers hired the old way — a **$2,558,360** annual revenue lift (EI Consortium).

📈 Friday thought: the skills that grow a career fastest rarely sit on the résumé — they're the ones that help us read a room, stay steady under pressure, and bring out the best in the people around us. 🌱 This week I went back to the research on emotional intelligence (EI): what it is, why it drives growth, and how anyone can build it ⤵️ 🧭 **EI is learnable — that's the whole point.** Yale's Center for Emotional Intelligence built its RULER method on five skills: Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, and Regulating emotions. Growth starts with labeling — "I'm frustrated we're behind" lands very differently than a slammed laptop. ➡️ Name the emotion before you try to solve the problem. 📈 **EI shows up in performance.** In one widely cited study, salespeople selected for emotional competencies sold **$91,370 more** each than peers hired the old way — a **$2,558,360** annual revenue lift (EI Consortium). Empathy isn't fluffy; it compounds. 🧠 **It can matter as much as IQ.** The University of West Alabama's science-of-emotion research notes that some researchers argue EI plays an even bigger role in success than traditional intelligence. ➡️ Develop and promote people for how they handle pressure and conflict — not just technical skill. 👥 **It grows leaders and teams.** Peer-reviewed research on PMC/NCBI links higher EI to stronger leadership and healthier, higher-performing teams. ➡️ Open your next 1:1 with "how are you, really?" before the status update — that's where real growth conversations start. 💬 Of the five RULER skills — Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, Regulating — which is your growth edge this quarter? 👇 — Fernando Bello · Author of "Find the Best — A Full Guide for Product Management" · LinkedIn Top Product Management Voice #EmotionalIntelligence #Leadership #EmployeeGrowth #EQ #FridayReflection #ProductManagement #OperationsLeadership 📚 Sources for the stats: ➡️ EI Consortium — *The Business Case for Emotional Intelligence* (emotional-competency selection results): https://lnkd.in/eRhpFic6 ➡️ University of West Alabama — *The Science of Emotion: The Basics of Emotional Psychology*: https://lnkd.in/eeTdXEb8 ➡️ Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence — the RULER approach: https://lnkd.in/ecfm283C ➡️ PMC / NCBI — peer-reviewed research on emotional intelligence, leadership, and teams: https://lnkd.in/eb9TPNU4