Dignity in Leadership is not about fixing leaders; it is about empowering leaders to care for themselves and be better armed to disarm their stressed behaviors. The processes shared in this working session are simple, fast, and intuitive. Under each leader, figurative or literal armor is an important human doing important work.

Emotions have always been a part of leadership, yet they have often been sidelined in favor of other learning and development. As leaders' roles continue to evolve, it is becoming increasingly clear that emotional literacy is a vital professional skill.

The current leadership situation results from millions of choices made over many decades. No one laid out a plan for leaders to lack ownership, not handle hard conversations, and have difficulty following through; most of what we see around us was not created intentionally. We worked with the knowledge and tools available, and like in most other fields, the tools we have today reveal the limitations of the tools we had yesterday.

We are where we are because we did our best with the knowledge and skills available to us. This is true for us individually and for our city. We do not knowingly follow a path that does not lead where we want to go.

This book focuses on awareness, action, and evolution based on the growing understanding of emotions as a tool and life skill. It proposes a practical interpretation of emotions, illuminating how they can be leveraged to decrease our blind spots when making decisions, solving problems, and building relationships.

It is about what only you, as a leader, can do to ensure emotional balance in your life, with your family, throughout your career, and after you retire. It is about the powerful role of dignity in self-care and establishing your standing in the world. You have your skills, your knowledge, and strategies, but your toolbelt is incomplete without your dignity.