Nataliey BitatureEmpowering Africa's Next Generation: Leadership, Innovation, and Impact with Dr Nataliey.

The Cost of Emotional Leadership

11 Apr 2026 · 0 min

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In this brief dialogue, Speaker A emphasizes the necessity for leaders—especially women—to maintain composure in the moment when provoked, noting that while emotional reactions can be processed later, immediate outbursts undermine leadership credibility. Speaker A acknowledges that women may feel more naturally emotional and that triggers can lead to undesirable reactions. Speaker B contrasts this with a claim that men are more prone to physical aggression, describing it as a natural response. The conversation concludes with Speaker A recounting a concrete incident where a procurement employee physically slapped a colleague, illustrating the real‑world stakes of uncontrolled emotional responses in the workplace.

You will definitely be in situations where you need to hold yourself together. You can get upset about it later, you can cry about it later, you can even vent about it to someone else later, but you can't do it in the moment. You can't release it on the person that's causing it at that time because it undermines you as a leader. Especially like as women, it's very hard and frustrating, but I think maybe we're more emotional naturally. We need to be, but when you're triggered, it's easier to have those bad reactions.
But men, they get physical. It's more natural for them to physically throw something, break something, hit someone. So it can also become difficult.
I had a procurement guy who once slapped someone in the office.
I was just like, I know you guys are having a difficult time, but we're really beating each other over procurement? Very difficult. So you need to have your own system for yourself.