Emotional Intelligence & Personal Leadership

Emotional intelligence (EI) describes the ability to perceive, understand, and purposefully manage one's own and others' emotions. In professional life, it is decisive: it influences how well we communicate, cope with stress, resolve conflicts, and motivate others. Studies show that EI has a greater influence on professional success than the classical intelligence quotient (IQ).

Selbstführung – often referred to in German as Persönliche Führung – means the ability to manage oneself: regulating emotions, setting priorities, acting with discipline, and knowing one's own impact on others. In the German leadership context, self-leadership is a fundamental prerequisite for effectively leading others. This course treats self-leadership as a daily, applicable practice – not as an abstract theory.

Social competence is a broad term for skills in dealing with other people. Emotional intelligence is more specific: it describes how well someone recognises, processes, and uses emotions – their own and those of others. EI is therefore a central foundation of social competence, but goes deeper: it encompasses self-awareness, empathy, emotional regulation, and relationship building.

Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act (ArbSchG), employers and managers are required to assess and reduce psychological stressors in the workplace. Since 2013, risk assessments have explicitly included psychological factors. In addition, BGB §§ 241(1) and 618 regulate the duty of care owed to employees. Module 4 of this course explains these obligations in a practical and accessible way.

Yes – and this is scientifically proven. Unlike classical IQ, emotional intelligence is changeable. With targeted training, reflection, and practice, all EI competencies can be measurably improved: self-awareness, empathy, communication, and emotional regulation. This course offers you exactly that: structured, practice-oriented training with immediately applicable tools.

Mimikresonanz® is a scientifically grounded training concept developed in Germany for recognising micro-expressions – fleeting facial movements that reveal genuine emotions. For managers, this skill is highly relevant: it enables them to read non-verbal signals from employees more accurately, identify misunderstandings early, and respond with greater empathy. Module 3 introduces you to this method.

Hybrid working places new demands on emotional intelligence: without physical presence, emotional signals are harder to perceive. Misunderstandings arise more quickly. Trust must be built more consciously. Module 5 shows you concretely how to deploy EI competencies in digital meetings, asynchronous communication, and remotely managed teams – for a strong team climate, wherever your employees are working.