Emotional Intelligence: The Leadership Skill Specialty Coffee Can't Afford to Ignore

Why emotional intelligence is one of the most powerful skills that café management can develop.

BY BRIANNA STEFANO
BARISTA MAGAZINE ONLINE

Featured photo courtesy of Getty Images

What to know:

• In a survey regarding emotional safety in the coffee industry, participants reported what leadership behaviors had the greatest positive impact on workplace culture. A great number of respondents reported clear communication and emotional intelligence to have the greatest positive impact.
• Employees value leaders who can stay emotionally regulated under pressure, and they’re more willing to stay long-term in environments where they feel supported, heard, and connected to leadership.

Specialty coffee has never lacked technical expertise. We spend countless hours refining recipes, improving workflows, and developing our craft. Yet one of the most influential factors shaping workplace culture has little to do with coffee itself: leadership.

As a coffee professional and sociology professor, I have spent years studying how people function within organizations and communities. At Northeast Coffee Fest 2026, I presented a workshop on emotional intelligence and leadership in coffee. Following that session, I launched the Coffee Industry Emotional Safety Survey to better understand how coffee professionals experience workplace culture and leadership within their organizations.

While survey participation remains ongoing, one finding emerged immediately. When respondents were asked which leadership behaviors have the greatest positive impact on workplace culture, 76% selected clear communication, 68% selected emotional intelligence, and 60% selected accountability from leadership. The message was clear: Employees value leaders who communicate effectively, remain emotionally regulated under pressure, and build trust through consistency and follow-through.

Defining emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence is often misunderstood as simply being nice. In reality, it is the ability to recognize, understand, and manage emotions while effectively navigating relationships. In coffee environments, where teams operate in fast-paced, customer-facing settings, these skills become essential leadership tools.

Communication emerged as one of the strongest themes throughout the survey. Sixty-four percent of respondents identified poor communication as a contributor to workplace dissatisfaction, while 60% reported that improved communication would positively impact their emotional well-being at work. In many ways, communication appeared to be both the problem and the solution.

Jessica Pellegrino, a barista at La Pausa Coffee in West Hartford, Connecticut, explains it this way: “When communication is incomplete, baristas have to fill in the blanks, which causes rumors and anxiety. Management and experienced baristas need to set the tone for success.”

Prioritizing employees’ well-being

The findings also revealed that 60% of respondents had considered leaving a coffee job because of workplace culture. For an industry that often struggles with retention, this statistic should serve as an important reminder. Employees may enter specialty coffee because they love the craft, but many ultimately decide whether to stay based on the environment created by leadership.

One workshop attendee reflected on this reality after attending the session: “Learning how deeply leadership influences a barista’s decision to stay or leave really resonated with me because I have experienced it firsthand. It reinforced how important supportive, intentional leadership is in creating workplaces where people can thrive.”

The technical skills we value are essential for building great coffee programs, but emotionally intelligent leadership is what builds great teams. Equipment can improve consistency. Training can improve quality. Neither can fully compensate for a workplace culture where employees feel unheard, unsupported, or disconnected from leadership.

Emotional intelligence as an essential skill

As specialty coffee continues to evolve, investing in leadership development may be just as important as investing in equipment, training, or product quality. Emotional intelligence is not a soft skill. It is a retention skill, a culture-building skill, and increasingly one of the most valuable leadership skills our industry can develop.

Author’s Note: This article’s findings were based off the “Coffee Industry Emotional Safety Survey,” launched prior to the presentations on emotional intelligence and mental health leadership at Northeast Coffee Fest 2026. If you would like to contribute, please fill out the survey through this link: Coffee Industry Emotional Safety Survey

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Brianna Stefano is a specialty coffee consultant, educator and adjunct professor at the University of Bridgeport with more than 15 years of experience in coffee. Drawing from backgrounds in sociology, organizational behavior, and coffee operations, her work focuses on leadership, workplace culture, professional development, and barista education. She is the founder of Brewing with Brianna and serves as Vice President of the Connecticut Coffee Collaborative.

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