My sister recently encouraged me to get a weighted vest.
Weighted vests are a fitness trend. And because my brain loves to turn just about everything into a leadership metaphor, here we go!
When someone wears a weighted vest, you can see the vest, but you can’t feel the weight.
You might think, “That doesn’t look too heavy.”
Someone else might think, “I wouldn’t want to wear that all day.”
And that’s exactly the point.
Every person you work with is carrying something.
Workload. Pressure. Expectations. Stress. Past experiences. Self-doubt. Something happening at home. Something they’re not saying out loud.
And here’s the leadership piece we sometimes miss: You’re wearing one too.
I shared a quick video about this (and yes, the weighted vest made an appearance 😄):
👉 Watch on YouTube
Some days the vest feels lighter. Some days it feels heavy. And some days the exact same weight feels heavier because your capacity has changed.
You’re tired. Stressed. Overloaded. Under pressure. Running on coffee and “I’m fine.”
The weight doesn’t always change, but your capacity does.
That’s where Emotional Intelligence comes in.
EQ helps you notice your own vest before it affects your tone, your patience, your communication, or your decisions.
It also helps you stop assuming you know how heavy someone else’s vest feels.
That is not soft leadership.
That is self-aware leadership.
Season 2 of the Leadership Laboratory Podcast is coming soon, and we’ll be talking more about Emotional Intelligence, self-awareness, and what it means to lead skillfully under load.
Subscribe here so you don’t miss it:
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