Putting My Teacher Hat On: Emotional Competency Isn’t Just for Kids
Alright, I’m putting my teacher hat on for a moment — so bear with me.
I was chatting with a couple of my friends who are still teaching in ECE the other day, and we got onto emotional competency.
It got me thinking… we spend years teaching kids under six how to handle big feelings:
Use your words
You can be mad but you can’t take it out on others
Take a breath
Ask for help
Tell someone if something doesn’t feel right
We do it intentionally because it keeps them safe.
Then we grow up… and somehow we stop practising it.
The Adult Version of “Big Feelings”
In my work in health and safety, I see it all the time:
Someone stays quiet because they don’t want to look silly
Someone rushes because the deadline is looming
Someone snaps because they’re overloaded or stressed
Someone takes a shortcut because ego got in the way
And speaking up? That can be tough — especially if you’re new to the role, new to the site, or the youngest person in the crew.
But saying something like:
“I’m not comfortable with that lift.”
“Can we slow this down?”
“I need a hand.”
…is exactly what prevents accidents. That’s emotional competency in action.
Why Most Incidents Aren’t About Rules
Here’s the thing: often incidents aren’t about people not knowing the rules.
They’re about emotions taking the wheel — fear, pride, pressure, embarrassment.
On site, I’ve seen it happen again and again:
A simple “I need a hand” stops a rushed lift from going wrong.
A calm “hold up, that doesn’t feel right” prevents a serious mistake.
People who feel safe enough to speak up are often the ones keeping the whole crew safe.
Emotional Competency = Safety
In ECE, we understand that teaching regulation keeps children safe.
In the workplace, emotional competency keeps adults safe too.
This isn’t soft. It’s practical. If you can’t manage frustration, pride, stress, or fear — they’ll manage you. And that’s when mistakes happen.
The lessons we drill into five-year-olds? Adults need them just as much. Speaking up, asking for help, slowing down when it doesn’t feel right… that’s not weakness. That’s safety.
Like Nelson Mandela said:
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but the ability to act in spite of it.”
Sometimes, that’s exactly what keeps people out of harm’s way.