Let’s be honest with each other. Leading today is hard. Really, really hard. And it’s not hard just because of the rapid changes brought on by new technologies and a changing marketplace. As a nation, we are living in polarized environments that just don’t make sense after all of our unifying efforts towards justice. And so we lead in spaces of heightened scrutiny and within workplaces that can feel, quite frankly, mean. If you’re feeling the weight of it, you’re not alone.
This is why I want to encourage you to think about and engage with others in talking about strengthening our emotional intelligence as the leadership capability that helps us to reflect about our work relationships, to listen more deeply to one another, and to co-construct positive work spaces. Choosing to work lovingly together remains within our control.
Brilliant leaders today are struggling, not because they lack vision or strategy, but because they are having a difficult time managing themselves under pressure where it feels as if everyone is focused on themselves as individuals. To move beyond this, leaders must build the trust their teams desperately need right now. Emotional intelligence is a superpower that you can tap into that is centered on showing up as your whole self while creating space for others to do the same. Doing so will allow you as a team to maintain your collective commitment to transferring self love to love for the community, as you advance the critical mission of your organization.
At the heart of this superpower is self-awareness. I will be the first to say that self awareness can go right out the window when unreasonable and constant competing demands are raining down on you as a leader. But your emotional and social functioning through the ups and downs of leadership will determine your well being and the well being of your team and organization. Ask yourself, do I know my emotional patterns and how they impact the quality of my decision making? What are my stress responses? My blind spots? How have I shifted my leadership approach and language in response to changes in my organization’s context?
Emotional intelligence shapes everything around you. Trust, collaboration, psychological safety. These don’t emerge from org charts or strategic plans. They’re built through how we show up every single day. Can you navigate conflict without losing sight of shared goals? Can you hold space for perspectives different from your own? These are the relational muscles that emotionally intelligent leaders develop, and they directly impact whether your team thrives.
Leaders who integrate emotional and social awareness into their decision-making produce more thoughtful, more inclusive, and more sustainable outcomes. In people-centered organizations, this alignment between our values and our behaviors becomes a genuine strategic advantage. Most importantly, it creates a place where people want to work because they feel respected and included.
In a year where change feels exceedingly complex, and even at times unjust, we need to stay focused on humanizing our work and workplaces.
We need our teams and they need their leaders. Stay well, be bold!
