Transform how work gets done, not how much you do.
You can't help others navigate change if you haven't learned to navigate your own patterns. Leading Self equips people at every level—from individual contributors to senior leaders—with the emotional intelligence foundation that makes everything else possible. Research shows 30% of individual capacity is lost to competing commitments: the hidden forces where you want one thing but unconsciously resist it. Leading Self helps you break free from what's holding you back, respond rather than react under pressure, and build the self-awareness that multiplies the impact of every other skill you have.
Grounded in Research. Proven in Practice.
This isn't feel-good fluff. Every framework is based on:
- Neuroscience showing how emotions actually work and why we react the way we do
- Competing commitments research revealing the hidden forces that keep people stuck
- Trust research proving how credibility, reliability, and care build relationships
- Self-compassion science showing that kindness drives better accountability than criticism
Translated into daily practice, real conversations, and tools you'll use immediately.
Your people are brilliant – It's not enough
What You'll Learn to Do
Build Trust Intentionally
- Evaluate relationships using the credibility, reliability, and care framework
- Repair damaged trust before it derails collaboration
- Recognize when trust issues are about you, them, or the situation
Navigate Pressure Without Reacting
- Learn to pause at yellow lights—notice what's happening around you and within you
- Harness the energy of your emotions to move toward what you really want
- Respond with intention instead of operating on autopilot
Set Boundaries That Strengthen Relationships
- Create boundaries that bring people closer, not push them away
- Say no without damaging relationships
- Protect your capacity while building connection
Break Free From What Holds You Back
- Identify the competing commitments consuming 30% of your cognitive energy
- Update assumptions that keep old patterns in place
- Transform constraints into platforms for growth
The Aware-Able-Accountable Framework
AWARE – Recognize Your Patterns
Recognize your emotional patterns, competing commitments, and what's holding you back
- Notice your "yellow lights" before emotions derail important conversations
- Identify the hidden predictions your brain makes that drive automatic reactions
- Understand when your values are serving you vs. constraining you
- Recognize competing commitments consuming cognitive energy
ABLE – Navigate Your Patterns
Navigate your own patterns with practical tools and frameworks
- Use the Four Pillars to turn conflict into connection
- Set boundaries that bring people closer, not push them away
- Evaluate trust using credibility, reliability, and care
- Respond with intention instead of reacting on autopilot
ACCOUNTABLE – Sustain Your Growth
Notice, learn, and adapt—turn experience into insight for better decisions
- Hold yourself compassionately accountable to who you want to become
- Identify what's really blocking your growth and work through it
- Update assumptions that keep old patterns in place
- Turn setbacks into learning opportunities instead of shame spirals
What Makes This Different?
What works + when you need it
Built on emotional intelligence research from neuroscience, behavioral economics, and social psychology. Every framework is grounded in decades of validated science—Lisa Feldman Barrett's constructed emotion theory, Kegan & Lahey's competing commitments, Frei & Morriss's trust research, and Kristin Neff's self-compassion work.
The Professor AI delivers 24/7 personalized coaching for your specific situations—navigating competing commitments, handling difficult conversations, working through yellow light moments. Research shows this AI-enabled approach produces results two standard deviations better than traditional training. Science that works, support when you need it.
Leading Self gives you practical tools you'll use immediately:
10-15 minutes per day, not another all-day workshop people forget by Friday. Daily practice builds habits. Scaffolded content reduces cognitive load. This is learning at the speed of business, designed for how people actually retain and apply new skills.
Designed for motivation and momentum
Ready to Build Your Foundation?
Leading Self is where transformation begins
Six weeks. Daily micro-learning. Optional cohort support. AI coaching. The emotional intelligence foundation that makes everything else possible.
Who This Is For?
For everyone who wants to:
- Navigate high-pressure situations without compromising relationships
- Build trust intentionally instead of hoping it happens
- Set boundaries that strengthen connections, not damage them
- Break free from patterns that once worked but now hold you back
- Lead themselves well before leading others
Whether you're an individual contributor, team leader, or senior leader—this is the foundation.
What Happens Next?
The Leading Self experience:
- 6 weeks of daily 10-15 minute videos
- Kickoff workshop to launch your cohort (optional)
- 2 milestone workshops to deepen learning and build accountability
- Cohort learning with peer support throughout (optional)
- 24/7 access to The Professor AI for personalized guidance
- Practical tools you'll use immediately in real situations
Leading Self stands alone or serves as the foundation for Leading Across and Leading at Scale.
Ready to explore what's possible?
Explore Leading Across | Explore Leading at Scale | Back to Capacity Overview
