When emotions take over: it's time to take back control

You've got your diary under control. You hold your own in meetings. But all it takes is a look, an email, a wrong word… and your whole system races out of control.

Anger, anxiety, frustration, guilt, shame or emotional overload: emotions run through you, whether they're yours or other people's. And as long as you can't read them, they're the ones steering. Unconsciously.

That's where the emotional psychosocial competencies come in, and PSC 9 in particular, understanding emotions and stress.

New family, new dynamic Here you enter the 2nd big family of PSC: the emotional competencies.

These competencies aren't just "soft skills". They're levers for regulation, cooperation and performance, especially when the stakes rise or tensions surface.

Understanding emotions and stress (PSC 9) isn't about "managing your emotions" or "suppressing them".
It's about:
• knowing how to identify them when they arise (in yourself and in others)
• understanding their origin and their role
• anticipating their impact on behaviours, decisions, relationships

And it often starts… with vocabulary.

Why it's strategic for leaders A leader who can't identify the emotions at play risks:
• misinterpreting their team's reactions,
• getting carried away without understanding why,
• cutting off the weak signals that precede tensions.

👉 Understanding emotions and stress lets you step in before a problem escalates, without falling into the trap of over-interpretation or excessive control.

It's a posture of reading. Not of flight, not of reaction. Just a clear understanding and a space to adjust.

A starting point, not a diagnosis You don't need to be a psychologist to develop this competency. You need:
• to learn to name what you feel (and what others may feel),
• to link emotions to situations, to context, to the surrounding stress,
• to recognise that everything that isn't expressed gets imprinted.

Emotions are indicators. They're neither good nor bad. It's the way we read them (or don't) that makes the difference.

Today's micro-action: The emotional alphabet 👉 Three times a day, ask yourself the question: "What am I feeling right now?"

✍️ And try to go beyond "I'm fine / I'm not fine". Use a wheel of emotions or an alphabet.
For example:
• Irritated, disappointed, motivated, curious, anxious, relieved?
• What need is linked to this emotion?
• What contextual stress might be at play?

You've just started developing PSC 9, understanding emotions and stress.

See you tomorrow for the next instalment, and if you need it, right now to talk

Krumma