Why Self-Awareness is Your Real Superpower
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I’ve wanted to be a leader for as long as I can remember. Looking back, I was kind of a bossy kid, but of course, I needed to refine my leadership skills.
I first realized I had a knack for managing when I was at Morgan Stanley. I was promoted to Team Leader in one of the Client Service teams, and I quickly saw how much I enjoyed improving processes. I was always thinking about how things could run better, with both employees and clients in mind. It was never about cutting headcount. It was about doing the right thing.
Even though I was good at managing, I wasn’t getting promoted. I received strong performance reviews, so it was confusing and frustrating. The truth is, I wasn’t very self-aware back then. I didn’t know what I didn’t know, and no one was giving me the kind of feedback I needed to grow.
When I moved to JP Morgan and took on a senior leadership role overseeing the North America Client Account Management team, I thought I had all the right skills. Then I started getting real feedback. And let me tell you, it was hard to hear. Not because it was cruel, but because I had never been given that level of honesty before.
That experience stuck with me. It made one thing very clear: when you don’t receive meaningful feedback, it’s nearly impossible to grow. And if you want to lead or be promoted into leadership, you have to be self-aware. You have to understand your strengths, identify your blind spots, and take ownership of your development.
This is why I developed the Elevare Leadership Lens.
What Is the Elevare Leadership Lens?
The Elevare Leadership Lens is a practical framework grounded in Daniel Goleman’s Emotional Intelligence model. It was designed specifically for professionals who’ve been promoted based on performance, but now need to lead people, not just manage tasks. The Lens helps leaders move from technical expertise to intentional, people-first leadership.
It centers around four core pillars that build leadership capacity in real time:
1. Self-Awareness
Recognize your leadership style and default behaviors.
Identify your stress triggers and blind spots.
Stay grounded, especially in high-pressure situations.
2. People and Communication
Build trust and psychological safety within your team.
Deliver feedback with clarity and empathy.
Navigate conflict and tough conversations without avoiding or escalating.
3. Decision-Making and Accountability
Lead decisively, even in complex and uncertain environments.
Balance logic, risk, and emotional insight when making calls.
Create clarity around roles, ownership, and expectations.
4. Presence and Growth
Respond rather than react.
Model a growth mindset and lead with intention.
Inspire performance by showing up authentically.
Bringing the Lens to Life
To put these pillars into action, the Elevare Leadership Lens invites leaders to pause and ask three core questions in the flow of work:
What am I not seeing?
This builds curiosity and helps uncover blind spots.
Who needs to be heard right now?
This strengthens connection and trust.
What’s getting in the way of progress?
This focuses attention on real blockers, not just symptoms.
Why It Works
I didn’t build this framework in theory. It came directly from what I lived, learned, and tested over decades leading teams and navigating corporate change. It also reflects what I studied in NYU’s Executive Coaching and Organizational Consulting program, where emotional intelligence and systems thinking were foundational.
The Elevare Leadership Lens helps leaders become more self-aware, more strategic, and more human in how they lead. It encourages reflection over reaction and connection over control.
Final Thoughts
Leadership is not something you check off your list. It’s a skill you keep sharpening. The Elevare Leadership Lens gives leaders a grounded way to reflect, realign, and rise without losing who they are.
Curious how this could work for you or your team? Let’s talk.