View emotional intelligence not as a tool to control external events, but as an internal shock absorber. It allows you to navigate career setbacks, difficult stakeholders, and high-pressure situations without derailing your progress or damaging relationships.
As AI takes over routine analytical and technical work, a product manager's value shifts. The ability to manage relationships, build consensus, and show empathy—skills AI cannot replicate—becomes paramount for effective leadership and decision-making.
A key challenge in developing EQ is that those who lack it are often unaware of their deficiency. Like being unable to read a jar's label from the inside, they need external feedback to understand how they are perceived by others and recognize their blind spots.
Empathy in the workplace is not about making everyone happy or even agreeing with them. Instead, it's a practical tool to get close enough to stakeholders and users to understand the rationale behind their decisions and perspectives, even when you disagree.
Leverage AI tools to improve your EQ. Use them as a coach to debrief meetings, role-play challenging conversations, or poke holes in your arguments from a specific stakeholder's perspective. This allows you to get frequent, low-stakes practice ("reps").
You cannot change another person's emotional intelligence. The most effective strategy is to control your own response. Don't take their behavior personally or escalate the situation by mirroring their emotions. Instead, communicate clearly and try to align on a logical outcome.
The foundation for improving emotional intelligence is not intellect but vulnerability. It requires an attitude of openness—the willingness to admit you need to grow and to actively seek and accept feedback from others on how you're perceived. This mindset is the starting point for development.