# Spotting the signs — why emotional intelligence in managers matters

- **Episode:** [160](https://agents.truthliesandwork.com/episodes/160.md) (2025-01-07)
- **Type:** other
- **Tags:** emotional-intelligence, managers, signs-of-distress
- **Time:** 15:07–21:04 (start 907s)
- **Listen:** [https://truthliesandwork.com/160?t=907](https://truthliesandwork.com/160?t=907)

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[15:07] Leanne Elliott: So that person is more likely to be To recognize symptoms in their subordinates and saying, putting armor on shoulder, Al, I've noticed for the last few weeks, maybe month, maybe 2 months, you've been kind of withdrawing. Something's troubling you, isn't it? I just feel it. Is it? What's wrong? And because he's an open person, he or she's an open person. Al is more likely to respond and open up themselves because open people, open people who have these social skills are people who are prepared to admit their own vulnerabilities, which enables people they're working with to open up. That's the way you do it. So in the future, what we need Is we need to recruit or promote line managers where there's parity between their people skills and their technical skills. They still need technical skills. You got to be a teacher to understand in a managerial role as a head teacher to manage the rest of the teachers. You've got to be— you have got to understand marketing if you're a marketing director. You, but you know, but you, but you have to understand that, but you also have to have the people skills. Therefore, if you get the right people in, and here's the problem we have, Al. The problem we have is because we don't have enough of them. I mean, in the years I'm that old, which I can say in all the years I've worked in organizations, I would say, and I had a university spinoff company, University of Manchester spinoff company, Robertson Cooper. Our work was working with lots of big companies, organizations, hospitals, public, private sector bodies
[16:59] Al Elliott: Okay
[19:46] Al Elliott: We actually have a lot in common. We both use behavioral science to help people do better at work
[20:48] Al Elliott: It can
[20:56] Leanne Elliott: But come back
[20:57] Al Elliott: Yeah, come back
[20:58] Leanne Elliott: Definitely come back because Nudge isn't as good as this. So come back
[21:01] Al Elliott: I've got that
[21:02] Leanne Elliott: Keep that in