Often we use emotional intelligence as a catch phrase for people better noticing when they’ve lost themselves to strong emotions, typically like anger, or worse, rage. But emotions are a full spectrum, and we can use the system of awareness and management to mature, develop, and grow even further.

One of the best kept secrets today is that:

1) You can increase your emotional intelligence, and

2) You can use that awareness to have a tremendous impact on your life and the lives of those around you.

We’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s just business.” We make decisions that affect people, and it’s “just business,” not personal.

Yet, we know that it hurts to be laid off, fired, reprimanded, or asked to resign. Most of us have direct experience with this; some of us from both sides of the table.

But naming the experience is a radical exercise in understanding the lived experience of going through workplace hardship that personally affects us—it hurts!! Ouch!

Unpacking and applying the four major frameworks of adaptive leadership theory.

The action of leadership is direction, alignment, commitment. The value of this framework is in its application. Leaders can use the lenses of direction, alignment, and commitment to understand their team members and provide what is needed to achieve the vision.

Leadership is either granted or denied by the group; sometimes it is stolen by manipulative and toxic leaders. At other times, new “leaders” simply don’t understand what leadership is.

Leadership is the intersection between a leader, follower, and situation.

Who cares about values!? You do and so does everyone else.