Handling Emotions at Work Effectively | Reiner Lomb
Emotions are what make us human. But that’s also the part we try hard to hide in workplaces. Yet, healthy workplaces do not have to be unemotional at all. In this podcast conversation, Ashish is joined by Reiner Lomb, the author of Aspire, to talk about handling emotions at work. Primarily, we explore:- The role of emotions in the workplace: The conversation begins by challenging the myth that emotions have no place in the professional setting. Reiner and Ashish discuss how emotions significantly influence behavior, actions, and decision-making. The question evolves to address how leaders can recognize and manage their own emotions as well as the emotions of others.
- The seven critical emotions for effective leadership: The discussion explores Reiner Lomb’s framework of seven critical emotions (empathy, compassion, interest, optimism, inspiration, trust, and positivity) and how they relate to specific leadership behaviors. The speakers analyze how cultivating these emotions can help leaders better understand their team members and stakeholders, inspire them, and coordinate effective actions.
- Challenges in developing emotional competence: Ashish and Reiner look into the challenges leaders face when transitioning to become more emotionally competent. They explore the common barriers such as past experiences, self-limiting beliefs, and lack of awareness about one’s own emotional state and its impact on others
Watch now: Learn the Art of Handling Emotions at Work with Reiner Lomb
Meet the Speaker!

John Horn currently serves the VP at LA Housing Finance, looking over important areas including people and culture. With decades of professional experience, he is an avid practitioner of the servantleadership style in the word and spirit. In this podcast, John uncovers the meaning and methods of a servant leader to help you become an effective one.
Connect with Reiner: Website
Handling Emotions at Work: Lessons From the Podcast
- Emotions are always present in the workplace: Humans inherently bring emotions to their work, and it is detrimental to ignore them.
- Emotions drive behavior and decisions: Most decisions are driven by emotions, not just rational thought. This underscores the importance of emotional awareness for effective leadership.
- Emotional skills are essential for leadership success: Leaders who cultivate emotional and social skills are more effective and create greater loyalty than those who only rely on rational skills.
- Seven critical emotions form the foundation of effective leadership: These emotions are empathy, compassion, interest, optimism, inspiration, trust, and positivity. They enable leaders to understand people, envision a future, mobilize others, and build resilience.
- Awareness of one’s emotional state is crucial: Leaders must be aware of their own emotional states and how these emotions impact their behavior and interactions with others. This awareness is key to improving leadership effectiveness.
- Past experiences and self-limiting beliefs hinder emotional competence: These factors can hold leaders back from fully developing their emotional skills. Overcoming these requires self-assessment and targeted development.
- Emotional skills are essential for the future: As the job market changes, emotional skills will remain crucial for human interactions and leadership
- Emotional Intelligence In Communication: 5 Ways Smart Leaders Act
- Emotional Competence: The second key pillar for Manager Effectiveness
- 5 Effective Ways to Use Emotional Intelligence in Conflict Resolution
Meet the Host!

Ashish is an entrepreneur tackling workplace development challenges through Risely, an AI copilot that helps managers and leaders build essential people skills.
Drawing on his experience in technology and organizational behavior, he’s passionate about creating scalable solutions that transform how companies develop their talent. His mission is to empower leaders to build thriving teams and sustainable organizational success.
Connect: LinkedIn
Grab free assessments to support you on the leadership journey!
Explore your capabilities in 30+ core and advanced leadership areas with Risely’s suite of assessments.