The right way to lead with emotional labor

Abstract

Although emotional labor has been studied almost exclusively among service workers, leaders also perform emotional labor whenever they use their emotional expressions to influence the moods and feelings of their subordinates and team members. Thus leading with emotional labor is a crucial component of the process of managing one’s own and others’ emotions. Leaders can use emotional labor to control emotional contagion processes and to influence the emotions of those around them. Leaders can also use emotional labor techniques to create positive workplace events. Leading with emotional labor may also be an important way to manage relational identities and to create a common identity among leaders and team members.