#366 The Power of Relational Awareness

Communication without awareness has consequences, and emotional intelligence extends beyond self-awareness to understanding how your mindset impacts those around you. Leadership is felt long before it's heard, with your emotional energy entering the room before you even speak.

• When leaders carry frustration into meetings, everyone feels the tension even if they can't name it
• Daniel Goleman teaches that emotional abilities and self-awareness are essential for success regardless of intelligence
• Learning relational awareness often happens the hard way through bulldozing past the emotional tone we set
• People need both your expertise and your healthy presence
• Practical relational awareness includes taking 30 seconds to center yourself before meetings
• Notice body language and emotional shifts in others
• Own your impact, not just your intent or words

What's one shift you can make to lead with more emotional and relational awareness? Keep instigating growth in all you do.

Chapters

• 0:00 Communication Mishaps and Consequences

Transcript

Speaker 0: 0:00

You ever hit. Reply all by accident and instantly regret your life choices. Yeah, communication without awareness has consequences. Welcome to message 366 of the Growth Instigators Hotline, where we ignite your personal and professional development. I'm Aaron Havens, your host and growth coach.

Speaker 0: 0:23

Mindset Monday the power of relational awareness. Here's the one big idea I want to land today. Emotional intelligence isn't just about you. It's about how your mindset impacts the people around you. Okay, let me paint a picture.

Speaker 0: 0:40

A leader walks into a meeting. They're carrying frustration from an earlier conversation. They say all the right words, but something feels off. Tension creeps into the room. Team members start to check out. Nobody can name it, but everyone feels it. That's the power of emotional energy. It enters the room before you even say a word.

Speaker 0: 1:04

So relational awareness means paying attention to how your mindset and emotions ripple through your leadership. That's right. Daniel Goldman, the father of emotional intelligence, says it this way If your emotional abilities aren't in hand, if you don't have self-awareness, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far. Man, I've had to learn this one the hard way.

Speaker 0: 1:32

There's been seasons I was so dialed in on getting things done that I bulldozed right past the relational tone I was setting. I wasn't being mean, I wasn't being, I just wasn't being mindful right. And when I took the time to pause and recalibrate the energy, the entire energy, shifted. People don't just need your expertise, they need your presence to be healthy. So what does relational awareness look like in action? It's taking 30 seconds before a meeting to center yourself. It's noticing body language and emotional shifts in others. It's owning your impact, not just what you're saying, not just your intent. Leadership is felt long before it's heard. So today, ask yourself what tone am I setting and what impact is it having on the people around me? Thank you for calling Growth Instigators Hotline. I'd love to hear from you after the beep what's one shift you can make to lead with more emotional and relational awareness and, as always, keep instigating growth in all you do.