🌴 Hana and the Crisis at the Palm Oil Mill 🌴

One humid afternoon in the heart of Sabah, Hana’s palm oil mill came to a sudden halt. A boiler malfunction triggered alarms across the plant — production was at risk, and so were the workers’ safety.

Panic began to spread among her team. Some shouted, others froze, while a few quietly feared the worst. As the young plant manager, all eyes turned to Hana.

At that moment, she remembered something deeper than technical knowledge: the power of emotional intelligence.

1️⃣ Self-Awareness
Hana recognized her own fear. Her heartbeat was racing, but she whispered to herself: “If I panic, they panic.” That awareness allowed her to stay grounded¹.

2️⃣ Self-Regulation
Instead of reacting harshly, she took a deep breath and spoke calmly: “Everyone, safety first. Shut down the lines step by step — no rushing.” Her steady tone replaced panic with discipline².

3️⃣ Motivation
She reminded the team: “We’ve solved bigger problems before. This is our chance to prove our strength again.” Her optimism reignited their spirit³.

4️⃣ Empathy
Hana noticed a young technician trembling near the control panel. She put a reassuring hand on his shoulder: “I know this is scary, but I trust you. Follow the checklist, you’re not alone.” His confidence returned⁴.

5️⃣ Social Skills
Coordinating across departments, she assigned clear roles: maintenance to secure the boiler, safety officers to monitor pressure, and operators to control flow. Communication became their lifeline⁵.

After hours of coordinated effort, the crisis was contained. Production losses were minimized, and most importantly — no one was hurt.

That evening, as the sun set behind Mount Kinabalu, Hana gathered her exhausted team.
She didn’t talk about output or numbers. Instead, she said:

“Today, we didn’t just manage a mill. We managed ourselves. That’s real leadership.”

And her team knew — in every challenge ahead, Hana’s emotional intelligence would be their greatest asset.

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📑 Footnotes

1. Goleman, D. (1998). Working with Emotional Intelligence. Bantam Books. ↩

2. Cherniss, C. (2000). Emotional intelligence: What it is and why it matters. Consortium for Research on Emotional Intelligence in Organizations, 1–13. ↩

3. Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2000). Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development, and well-being. American Psychologist, 55(1), 68–78. ↩

4. Salovey, P., & Mayer, J. D. (1990). Emotional intelligence. Imagination, Cognition and Personality, 9(3), 185–211. ↩

5. Boyatzis, R. E., & Sala, F. (2004). The emotional competence inventory (ECI). In G. Geher (Ed.), Measuring emotional intelligence (pp. 147–180). Nova Science Publishers. ↩

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