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BYAlbert BarraHospitality · Strategy · Leadership · Marketing
Manipulation can emerge when emotional intelligence is lacking—and that should raise alarms across hospitality. It is not a marginal issue, but a silent dysfunction that erodes trust and undermines internal culture. When leaders cannot genuinely connect with people, they may resort to control, often without recognising it.In hotels, where every gesture, look and word shapes the guest experience, the effects of manipulative leadership are amplified. Employees can feel watched, judged and pressured to please—not through motivation, but through fear. This compromises authentic service and emotionally exhausts the people delivering it. Over time, manipulation can be more draining than any peak occupancy period.
Sometimes, the most revealing studies are not those that confirm what we already knew, but those that force us to face an uncomfortable truth. I have just read research conducted by emlyon business school that establishes a clear link between the lack of emotional intelligence in managers and their tendency to be manipulative. Not narcissists. Not psychopaths. Manipulative. That word which, in the corridors of any hotel, is whispered with apprehension when results are falling short but the pressure never lets up.
The study was conducted with more than 200 managers, and what is interesting is that the assessment of their emotional intelligence was not based solely on a self-assessment questionnaire (where we all tend to come out looking rather good), but also on a performance test designed specifically for positions of responsibility. QEPro. A tool for measuring emotional intelligence objectively and in context.
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