Yes, many times.
What I’ve learned over the years is that emotions don’t usually “run high” on their own. They surface when something meaningful is at stake. A value. A boundary. A sense of responsibility. A relationship that matters.
Earlier in my leadership life, I thought strength meant staying composed no matter what. I learned to manage my tone, my face, my words. What I didn’t realize at the time was that I was also managing myself away from others. The cost was subtle but real. Less presence. Less clarity. Less connection.
The shift came when I stopped trying to suppress emotion and instead learned to stay with it. Pausing. Noticing what was being stirred. Naming it internally, sometimes out loud if the moment allowed. Not to unload or justify it, but to orient myself honestly before responding.
What surprised me was how often that created steadiness rather than disruption. When I could say, “Something about this feels important, and I want to be thoughtful in how we proceed,” it lowered the temperature. It gave others permission to slow down too. The emotion didn’t disappear, but it stopped driving the conversation from underneath.
For me, acknowledging emotion has strengthened my leadership because it keeps me present. It helps me respond rather than react. And it signals to others that leadership is not about emotional absence, but about emotional literacy. That kind of presence builds trust, and trust is what carries leaders and teams through pressure far more reliably than composure alone.
Your body never lies … listen.
