Technical leaders today face a unique challenge: the more complex the problems become, the more critical people skills are. While technical expertise can get you promoted, what sustains success at higher levels is your ability to influence, collaborate, and build trust across functions. And no pop-culture character illustrates the tension between high intelligence and low emotional awareness more clearly than Sheldon Cooper, the gifted physicist from the acclaimed American TV show The Big Bang Theory. Though extreme, Sheldon represents a familiar archetype—brilliant, analytical, and highly principled, yet often puzzled by human emotions. Many technical leaders I coach share a dynamic: strong IQ but underutilized EQ. And just as with Sheldon,…