People from all over the world are overwhelmed by the news and information related to the global COVID-19 pandemic on a daily basis. The social, economic, political, environmental, and technological landscapes have been undergoing unprecedented vicissitudes which have hindered innovation management. It hence behooves policy makers and leaders to develop and implement effective solutions and practices to immediately address the issues and catastrophes engendered by COVID-19. We discuss the promises of emotional intelligence to deal with the negative impact of COVID-19 and propose a list of practical recommendations for policy makers and leaders to consider when developing and assigning emotional intelligence training.