What do you do if your emotional intelligence is hindering your success as a product marketer?

1 Identify your EI gaps

The first step is to recognize where you need to improve your EI. You can use self-assessment tools, feedback from others, or reflection to identify your strengths and weaknesses in the four domains of EI: self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management. For example, you may find that you are good at empathizing with your customers' needs, but struggle to handle criticism from your stakeholders. Or you may be confident in expressing your opinions, but lack the flexibility to adapt to changing situations.

2 Learn from your emotions

The second step is to learn from your emotions and use them as a source of information and motivation. Emotions are not good or bad, they are signals that tell you what is important to you, what triggers you, and how you can cope. Instead of suppressing, ignoring, or overreacting to your emotions, you can acknowledge them, label them, and understand their causes and consequences. For example, if you feel frustrated by a delay in your product launch, you can use that emotion to identify the root problem, communicate your expectations, and seek solutions.

3 Practice your EI skills

The third step is to practice your EI skills in real or simulated situations. You can use role-playing, case studies, coaching, or mentoring to develop and apply your EI skills in different scenarios. For example, you can practice how to deliver constructive feedback, how to negotiate with stakeholders, how to resolve conflicts, or how to inspire your team. You can also seek feedback from others on how you performed and what you can improve.

4 Monitor your EI progress

The fourth step is to monitor your EI progress and celebrate your achievements. You can use metrics, surveys, or testimonials to measure how your EI skills have improved your product marketing outcomes, such as customer satisfaction, stakeholder engagement, team collaboration, or product adoption. You can also reward yourself for reaching your EI goals and milestones, such as completing a challenging project, resolving a difficult situation, or receiving positive feedback.

5 Enhance your EI network

The fifth step is to enhance your EI network and learn from others who have high EI. You can seek out mentors, peers, or experts who can share their insights, experiences, and best practices on how to use EI in product marketing. You can also join communities, forums, or events where you can exchange ideas, challenges, and solutions with other product marketers who have similar or different EI styles. You can also support and encourage others who are working on their EI skills.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?