Axiom Business Book Award 2023 Bronze Co-Medalist, Leadership Category

Bronze award recipient for the 2022 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year – Career (Adult Nonfiction)
The Emotionally Strong Leader offers those leading our workplaces, organizations, and institutions an opportunity to transform their leadership and their lives by learning to harness the power contained in recognizing and understanding their feelings.

For leaders, managing their emotions and leading with a strong mind and a kind heart while using a set of clear, simple, and tested skills and strategies will enable them to connect more authentically and communicate more effectively with their colleagues and teams. This kind of connection and communication creates an environment of trust and belonging that will spur engagement, spike curiosity, and engender fraternity in the workplace.
How does one get there? By leading with emotional intelligence.
Unfortunately, too many leaders choose another path; one that eschews their emotions and those of their employees as bothersome and unimportant to the task at hand. This limited and damaging viewpoint tends to make people feel as though they are simply task-managing machines and not the terrific and complex individuals full of energy, passion, and unlimited potential that they are.
What we need are leaders who understand themselves from the inside out, who know why they do what they do, and who use the information their feelings provide to help them make informed, rational decisions - especially when the stakes are high. We need leaders who express humility, engage in genuine and caring conversations with the people they lead, and who aren't afraid to admit when they make a mistake.
We need executives who are both emotional and strong.
Author Carolyn Stern's six-step self-coaching model - adapted from emotional intelligence courses she's developed for major universities and corporations across North America - is backed by decades of field experience and top science on emotions and behavior. Stern's model is the tool leaders need to uncover their barriers to growth and change, set personal goals, and tap into their motivation. It will give them the means and drive to manage the hurdles life throws at them, dramatically impacting their performance, results, and happiness.
Simply put, The Emotionally Strong Leader will turn the way readers think about leading on its head.

Carolyn Stern's profile page

Carolyn Stern is the President and CEO of EI Experience—an executive leadership development and emotional intelligence training firm. She is a certified Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Development Expert, professional speaker, and university professor.

Carolyn's emotional intelligence courses and modules have been adopted by top universities in North America. She has also provided comprehensive training programs to business leaders across the continent in highly regarded corporations encompassing industries such as technology, finance, manufacturing, advertising, education, healthcare, government, and foodservice.

Her engaging, results-based approach has been synthesized here for the first time in a user-focused, self-coaching model that will motivate and inspire readers to apply the power of emotional intelligence to their own leadership and organizations.

Carolyn lives and works in Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Crucial and timely, Stern's guide to the inside-out journey presents a vital road map for today's leaders."
- Amy C. Edmondson, Professor, Harvard Business School, and bestselling author of The Fearless Organization

"How are you and your emotions getting along? For most of us, there's work to be done in this relationship. In clear, compelling language, The Emotionally Strong Leader shows us how to do that work so that we can become better leaders, coworkers, and community members - and not incidentally, feel more comfortable in our own skin."
- Sheila Heen & Douglas Stone, authors of the bestseller Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most

"Takes you on a journey, both personal and professional, to discover how being smart about your emotions can help you chart a more fulfilling life path."
- Dr. Steven J. Stein, coauthor of The EQ Edge and author of The EQ Leader

"Provocative questions, case examples, and exercises help to guide Stern's readers through a personal journey that is sure to enhance self-awareness and help build those emotionally intelligent practices."
- Dr. Robin Stern, Co-Founder and Associate Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence

"We feel before we think. Descartes got it wrong and Damasio got it right. Stern sets the record straight and guides you through how to use your emotions to feel better and be more effective."
- Richard Boyatzis, Ph.D., Distinguished University Professor, Case Western Reserve University, and coauthor of the international bestseller Primal Leadership and The New Helping People Change

"Stern challenges us to drop our fears and hesitation about engaging with our feelings and helps us to understand how an emotionally intelligent leader is more authentic and effective. A compelling read and timely call to action."
- Jeff Scott, President & CEO, Coastal Pacific Xpress

"Stern reveals that how a leader shows up for others is key to their success. The Emotionally Strong Leader teaches you how to develop your EI sense and show up as the leader you want to be. Stern's insight and guidance has been transformational for me."
- Mike Leonard, President & CEO, British Columbia Maritime Employers Association

"Now more than ever, leaders need to connect, build trust, and bring their genuine selves to their teams every day. Unlike other authors who also ask us to reconsider our approach to leadership, Stern challenges us to dive deeper and own not only our approach to leading others, but also how we show up, who we are, and how we got here."
- Wally Smith, Ed.D., Director of Talent Development, UChicago Medicine

"This book opens the door to a new kind of leadership through an inside-out approach that cuts straight to the heart of the issue: why we do what we do. Rather than being afraid of your emotions, learn to embrace them. Stern provides a simple set of strategies that will bring you to the best version of yourself in the workplace. I know it did for me."
- Duana Kipling, President, Neptune Bulk Terminals

"In these pages, Stern presents with honest clarity the power of emotional intelligence. Having experienced Stern's excellent work with the leadership team at University of Findlay, I encourage you to read her work carefully, and to apply the principles of EI bravely."
- Katherine Fell, Ph.D., President, University of Findlay

"An extraordinarily rich guide articulating why emotions are your superpower. Stern reveals how emotional intelligence can become the magic ingredient to connect authentically, communicate effectively, and thrive collectively."
- Dan Pontefract, award-winning author and leadership strategist

"This book teaches you that change starts from within. If you want to dramatically improve your ability to connect and lead? - at home and in life - start with Stern's program and undergo your own transformative, inside-out evolution. It worked for me."
- Duane Jebbett, Retired President & CEO, Rowmark

"To be an even better leader, you need to be principled, purpose driven, and able to fully tap into the emotions within yourself and that exist among your team. Stern's playbook on emotional intelligence will help all leaders move their impact to the next level. A must-read!"
- Jim Reid, author of Leading to Greatness, and Former Chief HR Officer, Rogers Communications

"Stern allows us to look inside ourselves, acknowledge our emotions, and understand how they impact our careers and relationships. She then provides the understanding and tools to embrace those emotions so we can thrive as leaders, team members, and partners."
- David MacLaren, Founder & CEO, MediaValet

"Stern's well-researched book clearly identifies the critical connection between emotional intelligence and leadership, and she provides an excellent guide to support our personal development and that of our teams. This is a must-read."
- Paul Dangerfield, President, Capilano University

"For too long, emotional intelligence has been denigrated or relegated to the private sphere. Yet it is one of the essential keys to successful leadership in the twenty-first century. Let Stern be your guide, with this book born of long practice and deeply moving personal stories."
- Celine Schillinger, Founder & CEO, We Need Social, and author of Dare to Un-Lead

"Stern takes us on a journey to embrace - not suppress - our emotions as an integral part of our humanity. Our brain integrates the sum of everything on our mind into one behavior - and emotions are a key part of this. A better understanding of our emotional predisposition is empowering, and will help create better, empathetic leaders."
- Claudia Krebs, MD, Ph.D., Professor of Teaching in Neuroanatomy, University of British Columbia

"The Emotionally Strong Leader is a warning bell for all leaders who are ignoring emotions in the workplace. Especially in these challenging times, we need to embrace our emotions and those of others. Stern provides a clear path and a set of tools for leaders to do just that."
- Bob Hanley, Senior Vice President, Chief Human Resources Officer, UChicago Medicine

"A meaty, thought-provoking approach to empathetic workplace leadership in a changed world."
- Kirkus Indie