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If you've heard me speak this year, there’s a good chance you’ve seen me open with an emotional tear-jerker video (and for that, I suppose I owe some of you an apology!). Sometimes it was the Chevy holiday ad from two Christmases ago. Other times it was the highly emotional story from a German grocer. It’s one of those pieces that hits you in the heart before your brain has any time to prepare.And now, just in time for Thanksgiving, another powerful ad arrived on the scene.
Whenever an ad like this comes out, I always pause and ask a question I think more leaders should consider:
Why would a company invest massive amounts of time, creativity, energy, and money into a campaign that never once highlights a specific product, a new feature, or even where to buy anything?
No specs.
No pricing.
No “limited-time only.”
Just a story.
The answer is simple and it’s profoundly important:
Because emotional connections matter.
Whether we realize it or not, we make decisions with emotion and then justify those decisions with logic.
Most of us like to believe we’re rational beings who occasionally feel something. In reality, we are emotional beings who occasionally think. Neuroscience shows this. Behavioral psychology supports it. And if we’re honest with ourselves, our life experience confirms it.
Think about the last big decision you made:
The job you accepted.
The person you married.
The city you moved to.
The leader you chose to follow.
Logic may have supported the decision, but emotion almost certainly led the way.
And this is where the best leaders distinguish themselves.
Emotionally Intelligent Leadership Isn’t Soft, it’s Strategic
Being an emotionally intelligent leader means you understand how emotions drive people and how they influence motivation, trust, creativity, loyalty, and performance. It means you pay attention not just to what people say, but to what they feel. It means you recognize that the people you lead are human beings long before they are employees.
Emotionally intelligent leaders:
- Communicate with empathy, not just clarity.
- Create meaning, not just tasks.
- Resolve conflict, not bury it.
- Inspire commitment, not just compliance.
And here’s the truth:
Emotional intelligence doesn’t just make you a better leader, it makes you better at life.
You become a better spouse, parent, friend, and neighbor. You become better at navigating hard conversations. You become someone people want to follow, not because they have to, but because they choose to.
Holiday Stories Remind Us What Leadership Is Really About
This is why these holiday ads resonate so deeply. They speak to something universal: belonging, connection, memory, community, and the shared experiences that make life meaningful. They remind us that leadership isn’t ultimately about metrics, milestones, or output. Those things matter, but they aren’t what people remember.
People remember how you made them feel.
They remember how connected they felt to a mission, a moment, or a team.
They remember the leaders who saw them… really saw them.
As we move through this holiday season, my encouragement is simple:
Slow down.
Notice people.
Ask questions that matter.
Share moments that matter.
Lead in a way that connects on a human level, not just a functional one.
Because authenticity isn’t built on information.
It isn’t built on policies or presentations.
It is built on the shared connection that holds teams, families, and communities together.
And if companies understand this well enough to spend millions creating stories that make us feel something…
Then surely, as leaders, we can invest a few more moments into creating meaningful, emotional connections with the people we serve.
