How emotional regulation helps leaders build trust, reduce stress, and create resilient, high-performing organizations.
By Dr. Angela Jackson
In today’s atmosphere of innovation and change that are often spurred or followed by upheavals, we need proficient leaders who can efficiently navigate these spaces. In our own spheres, stepping into leadership can be daunting, but also necessary and even rewarding. While the role of a leader can come with responsibilities that invite criticism, increase pressure, and challenge confidence in decision-making, it can also be an opportunity to grow individually and to contribute to the stability of those we lead and to the success of the organization as a whole.
One way to harness growth and contribution as an effective leader while simultaneously dealing with stress and difficulty can come through the practice of emotional regulation (Torrence & Connelly, 2019). Sarah Jakle, a recent guest on UVU’s Business Impact Lab podcast, discussed three concepts, grounding, savoring, and channeling your inner best friend, that she termed as “amygdala skills,” which are useful for gaining confidence and developing as a leader (Owens-Jackson, 2026). Versions of these concepts align with research on emotion regulation, positive emotion regulation, and constructive self-talk in organizational settings.
Expanding upon these concepts from a leadership perspective, grounding is a way of being present in the moment, taking note of one’s surroundings, and regaining composure in any given moment (Connelly, 2021), and can allow for composure during criticism, conflict, or uncertainty. Savoring is the practice of noticing and relishing wins, positive experiences, and progress made, and it can support positive emotional functioning and recovery over time (Colombo et al., 2021) in light of stressful or prolonged work demands. Channeling your inner best friend is similar to positive self-talk, which is a form of inner dialogue that replaces self-criticism with a kind and encouraging inner commentary that is associated with greater leadership effectiveness and lower strain (Rogelberg et al., 2013). Each of these is an example of emotional regulation skills that provide ways to find calm, clarity, and confidence in the face of stress, decision-making, and criticism.
Leaders help set the emotional tone for those they lead (Coronado-Maldonado & Benítez-Márquez, 2023). When a leader can regulate their own response to stressors in a thoughtful way, they can help create conditions that promote trust and psychological safety for those they lead (Wang et al., 2024). This, in turn, promotes an emotionally resilient organizational culture where people are more likely to speak up and be engaged within the organization, as well as contribute effectively to the organization (Decuypere & Schaufeli, 2021).
Organizations can create a culture that prioritizes emotional well-being in the following ways:
By implementing leader development that incorporates emotional regulation, personal as well as organizational well-being is supported, contributing to the overall success of the entire organization (Torrence & Connelly, 2019). Rather than ignoring or avoiding emotions that are inevitable, these interventions help leaders lead more effectively when emotions are present. A leader’s ability to model these behaviors helps reinforce a culture of emotional regulation, better equipping the organization to handle inevitable stressors.
Colombo, D., Pavani, J. B., Fernandez-Alvarez, J., Garcia-Palacios, A., & Botella, C. (2021). Savoring the present: The reciprocal influence between positive emotions and positive emotion regulation in everyday life. PLOS ONE, 16(5), e0251561.
Connelly, C. D. (2021). Mental Health Leader Burnout and Emotion Regulation Strategy (Doctoral dissertation, Grand Canyon University).
Coronado-Maldonado, I., & Benítez-Márquez, M. D. (2023). Emotional intelligence, leadership, and work teams: A hybrid literature review. Heliyon, 9(10).
Decuypere, A., & Schaufeli, W. (2021). Exploring the leadership–engagement nexus: A moderated meta-analysis and review of explaining mechanisms. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(16), 8592.
Owens-Jackson, A. (Host) (2026, April 22). Supporting women leaders: Why it starts earlier than you think with Sarah Jakle. (Season 7, Episode 12) [Audio podcast episode]. In Business Impact Lab Podcast. Podbean. https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-a5j3n-1aa620a View Owens-Jackson, A.'s Supporting women leaders
Rogelberg, S. G., Justice, L., Braddy, P. W., Paustian‐Underdahl, S. C., Heggestad, E., Shanock, L., Baran, B., Beck, T., Long, S., Andrew, A., Altman, D., & Fleenor, J. (2013). The executive mind: Leader self‐talk, effectiveness, and strain. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 28(2), 183-201.
Torrence, B. S., & Connelly, S. (2019). Emotion regulation tendencies and leadership performance: An examination of cognitive and behavioral regulation strategies. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 1486.
Wang, C., Yao, J., & Gao, L. (2024). How do leaders' positive emotions improve employees’ psychological safety in China? The moderating effect of leader-member exchange. Heliyon, 10(3).
