room, saying, ‘OK and my presence isn’t adding anything.’ And then not standing there, but going out the door.”


The Boutonniere Breakdown On one of her busiest wedding days of the year, Butler and her staff were stretched thin, juggling seven weddings with a mix of staff and freelancers. At one park venue, Butler noticed


that the boutonnieres made by a new designer were falling apart. The wiring hadn’t been done correctly. Flowers were popping off. And the wedding party was waiting. There was no time to troubleshoot


— only time to fix it.


The Decision: Manage the Moment Butler didn’t panic. She walked back to her truck, grabbed her emergency floral kit and got to work. “I was rewiring boutonnieres


while standing in the park ravine,” she says with a laugh. “It was a night- mare, but I got them all fixed, and no one ever knew.” In the moment, her focus stayed on


the outcome, not the mistake. The cor- rection came later. “There wasn’t enough time to get


upset, there was just enough time to get the job done,” she says. “I try not to yell. It’s always better to stay calm.” After the events were over, she


revisited the issue with the designer and walked through the proper technique.


Why It Works Bruce says moments like this define leadership. “It puts people at ease when we


show that we can take care of a problem in the moment and address the issue [later] when we’re not in a high-pressure situation, when emotions aren’t high,” she says. By separating the fix from the feed-


back, leaders maintain trust with clients while creating space for staff to learn — without adding pressure in an already high-stakes moment.


The Breaking Point Weddings and events can be managed. Booked in advance. Planned.


•


WHAT IS EI?


Emotional Intelligence, or EI, is the ability to recognize and understand emotions — both your own and those of the people around you — and then manage them with empathy.


“That means responding judiciously,” says Jackie Bruce, Ph.D., a professor at North Carolina State University focused on leadership development. “Not just reacting.”


Calm responses, focused actions and an ability to stay productive amidst the unexpected are all components of EI. Bruce breaks EI into five core components: • Self-Awareness: The internal understanding to catch yourself when you’re starting to feel frazzled, before it turns into a full-blown mood.


•


Self-Regulation: The deep breath or “pause button” that stops you from snapping at a delivery driver or a freelancer when things go sideways during a setup.


Internal Motivation: The inner fire that keeps you designing for a genuine love of the craft, a drive for excellence, and the satisfaction of a successful outcome.


• Empathy: The ability to understand where others’ emotions are coming from and to treat their concerns with genuine care and grace.


•


Social Skills: The proficiency to manage others, build networks and effectively communicate with the wide range of people who cross your path.


“They are all deeply intertwined,” Bruce says. She encourages people to build balance by leaning into their strengths while continuing to develop areas where they’re less confident.


Funerals are a different kind of event,


bringing a unique emotional situation. One week, already busy preparing


for two weddings, Botamer Florist & More was hit with orders for 13 funerals — well outside the shop’s typical funeral order volume. Suddenly, everything was urgent. The team had to manage weddings,


funeral work and daily orders — all while inventory was running thin and the cooler was nearly empty.


The Decision: Motivate the Team Powell focused on her team. Attuned to the strengths of her designers, she ensured that her workers were given tasks that they were most comfortable doing. And she offered praise. “You never want to tear down


employees. You need to encourage them when they have self-doubt,” she says. “When you are nervous, people mess up or worry about getting in trouble.”


Instead, she reinforced confidence. “We got this,” became the mindset.


Staff pitched in across roles — clean- ing, designing, prepping — doing whatever was needed to get through the week.


Why It Works Bruce says moments like this highlight the connection between emotional intelligence and business outcomes. “No one is a florist by themselves,”


she says. “The team is as important as how you deal with clients.” Leaders who support and motivate


their staff — especially under pressure — don’t just get through the rush. They build stronger teams, better perfor- mance, and ultimately, better service for customers.


Sarah Sampson is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.


The magazine of the Society of American Florists (SAF) 37


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