42: The Cost of Emotional Labor

Emotional labor at work is one of the biggest invisible barriers holding women leaders back, and most have never even named it.As women in leadership, we often take on the invisible work of managing team emotions professionally: smoothing over conflicts, holding the team together, noticing what no one else does, and absorbing the stress of everyone around us. This invisible work takes real skill and real energy, but it rarely shows up in performance reviews or promotion conversations.In this episode, we unpack why emotional labor falls so unevenly on women leaders, what it is really costing you in terms of energy, visibility, and career advancement, and exactly how to lead with warmth and still protect yourself from burnout.You will also hear about a leader who was passed over for a VP role despite being the emotional backbone of her entire department, and how she shifted from carrying the load to leading sustainably without losing any of her warmth.01:48 --- What emotional labor actually is and how it goes far beyond the original definition04:12 --- How one leader was running two jobs and why she got passed over for VP06:30 --- The three real costs of unmanaged emotional labor: energy depletion, visibility gaps, and burnout09:15 --- Why you should not stop caring and how to lead strategically instead11:24 --- Gender socialization and the double bind women face with emotional caretaking12:45 --- Four practical moves to stop emotional labor from holding you backMENTIONED IN THIS EPISODEArlie Hochschild, The Managed Heart (1983) on emotional laborGoogle's Project Aristotle on psychological safety—Register for the Free Executive Presence for Women Masterclass: The 3 keys to Increase Authority and Influence, happening live on Thursday, August 8 at 12 PST.A replay will be available for those that register! https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJAkdOsrDItGdHchQv1BXFozsGRUjL74xlK#/registration —🌟 FREE MASTERCLASS: Achieve Your VP Promotion: 3 Steps to Success in the Next Yearhttps://sistersmart.com/register-sil—✈️ FREE PASSPORT TO PROMOTION PRIVATE PODCAST: 7 STEPS TO GET PROMOTED FROM DIRECTOR TO VP Get access to the Passport to Promotion Private Podcast—👩‍💻 APPLY FOR THE SISTERS IN LEADERSHIP PROGRAM An 12-month coaching program for women leaders who want to rise up and fulfill their career potential and get promoted from director to VPJoin Sisters in Leadership to Get Promoted to VP—💻 EXPLORE OUR LEADERSHIP COURSESWe offer a few leadership courses for you to begin sharpening your skills from meeting management to executive presence and productivity.Sign Up for a Leadership Course—👋 CONNECT WITH JILL 🌐 Website: https://sistersmart.com/ 🎥 YouTube: https://linktw.in/uWD3ko 💼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillavey/