“Self-awareness is a foundational skill; when you have it, self- awareness makes the other emotional intelligence skills much easier to use. As self-awareness increases, people’s satisfaction with life—defined as their ability to reach their goals at work and at home—skyrockets. Self-awareness is so important for job performance that 83 percent of people high in self- awareness are top performers, and just 2 per-cent of bottom performers are high in self- awareness,” (Bradberry and Greaves, 2009).  In leadership, we must make ethical decisions to not only avoid conflict but to uphold our morals, values, and beliefs. As a leader I’ve followed a framework for ethical decision making, standing by my values and beliefs, and always practicing mindfulness and emotional intelligence. The key to success is being a strategic leader, making decisions based on mindfulness and emotional intelligence through having conversations, observing, and knowing what is best for your team and organization. 

Fostering emotional intelligence and mindfulness in leadership can be done through strategic planning whether that’s through leadership development and mentorship opportunities where the leader can learn more about the community, culture, and its employees.  This practice is also known as boundary-spanning leadership. Ernst and Chrobot-Mason (2011) stated, “as a boundary-spanning leader, your job is to build a bridge and your role within that job is to provide the space for these practices to occur.” It’s up to an emotionally intelligent leader to educate themselves so they can strategize and create a culture that compliments the organization, employees, and consumers. By practicing emotional intelligence and mindfulness, leaders can create a collaborative environment with opportunity, trust, good employee morale, and support across the organization.

A good example of a leader who practices boundary spanning leadership through mindfulness and emotionally intelligence is Michelle Obama. I’ve always admired this woman for her strong leadership skills, how incredibly emotionally intelligent she is, and her ability to be both a working mom/leader for the World and a family woman! I first started admiring Michelle Obama when she was the First Lady of the United States of America. I admired how she dealt with critics and how she always stayed classy, yet witty. She’s aware of her surroundings, she’s thoughtful, she’s an innovator, but the best part she is real. She practices emotional intelligence daily, therefore, she is respected for acknowledging the needs of others, showing support, being a voice, etc.

Advice for leaders:

Pay attention to your employees. Do they look happy? What does the culture in your workplace look like? Listen, observe, and talk to them. It’s incredibly valuable for you to be aware of the culture and morale on your team, because when you are, you are engaged and encouraging an environment with collaboration and thoughtfulness. The leader needs to be able to adapt or make changes in order to effectively lead.