Leading Well: Why Self-Awareness Is the Foundation of Resiliency and Wellness

In fast-changing, high-demand workplaces, leaders are under constant pressure. To thrive — not just survive — leaders need more than technical skill or drive. They need self-awareness, emotional intelligence (EQ), and wellness practices that build resiliency. The science is growing: leaders who understand their own internal state, how others perceive them, and who actively cultivate well‐being are significantly more likely to lead sustainably, make better decisions, create healthier cultures, and maintain high levels of performance over the long term.

What the Research Tells Us

1. EQ correlates with leadership effectiveness and team resilience.
Emotional intelligence in leaders is strongly related to better leadership behaviors, more positive work attitudes in teams, and higher team performance. Also, leaders high in EQ build trust, resolve conflict more effectively, and foster psychological safety — all important for resilience.

2. Vitality, wellness, strain, and burnout matter.
A study of Fortune 1000 leaders explored what drains and fosters vitality — the energy and psychological well-being leaders need. It found that vitality is eroded by emotional labor, lack of control, isolation, etc., and boosted by relationships, meaning, physical health, and time away.
Another recent work developed the Leader Vitality Scale, showing that leader vitality comprises physical, psychological, and emotional dimensions — meaning wellness isn’t just “flight or fight down‐time,” but impacts ability to lead effectively.

3. Self-awareness is rare but powerful.
Tasha Eurich’s research (summarized in Insight) shows that while ~95% of people believe they are self-aware, only about 10-15% actually meet criteria for both “internal self-awareness” (knowing your values, strengths, emotional patterns) and “external self-awareness” (knowing how others perceive you). Leaders who develop both types are more likely to make sound decisions, sustain relationships, and preserve personal wellness.  You can make this a superpower, creating your own competitive advantage.

4. Behavioral emotional intelligence matters for outcomes.
Boyatzis’ research shows that behavioral EQ predicts job performance, innovation, managerial effectiveness, and leadership sustainability.

Tips for Leaders: Cultivating Self-Awareness, Wellness & Resiliency

Here are practical, research-backed strategies leaders can use to increase self-awareness and enhance wellness in a way that underpins sustainable resilience:

Clarify Core Values & Purpose: Spend time writing down your core values. Revisit: Do your daily choices, your priorities, your commitments align? If not, adjust.

Build Renewal into Your Routine: Include small daily and weekly practices: physical activity, restorative rest, mindfulness, time with people you care about, meaningful work, spiritual or purpose-oriented activities.

Monitor Vitality & Well-Being Metrics: Use tools or scales (self-rating, leader vitality scales) to observe your own energy levels, stress levels, emotional reactivity. When you notice declines, take corrective action (rest, boundary-setting, support).

Cultivate Psychological Safety & Healthy Boundaries: Be transparent about your own learning, set limits on availability, protect non-work time, encourage team feedback. Psychological safety boosts wellness and performance in teams.

The Payoff: What Leaders & Organizations Gain

• Leaders with self-awareness make better strategic decisions, avoid costly missteps, and are more likely to act in alignment with their values—which reduces internal conflict and stress.

• Higher EQ among leaders correlates with lower turnover, higher engagement, and stronger team resilience when facing disruption.

• Wellness practices protect against burnout, preserve cognitive capacity, and sustain leader energy over time—so that leadership is not episodic, but consistent.

• Organizations led by emotionally intelligent, well leaders tend to have healthier culture, better communication, more innovation. Leadership effectiveness goes beyond output: it includes sustainability and well-being.

In Summary

Resilient leadership depends on self-awareness + wellness. Science shows these are not “nice extras,” but core drivers of effective leadership. If you are a leader looking to sustain performance, care for your teams, and maintain your own wellness, start by knowing yourself—internally and externally—then build intentional habits of renewal, feedback, values alignment, and boundary-setting. Over time, these become part of an identity that weathers pressure rather than being drained by it.

Learn More:
Contact Dr. Patti (DrPattiTampaCoaching@gmail.com) to discuss how leadership coaching focuses on self-awareness and high-impact actions.

Boyatzis, R. E. (2018). The competent manager: A model for effective performance. Wiley.
Eurich, T. (2018). Insight. Crown Business.