Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is critical for fostering trust, accountability, and empathy in leadership. Leaders must build safe and inclusive environments, hold themselves accountable for promoting equity, and address conflicts in a way that prioritizes healing and inclusion. This domain also focuses on self-reflection to address implicit biases and personal accountability.

CORE COMPETENCIES:

1. Empathy and Compassion – Recognize and respond to the needs of employees and each other with understanding and care.
2. Self-Reflection – Engage in self-assessment to improve equity leadership practices and mitigate biases.
3. Trust-Building – Build trust with diverse communities through transparent and authentic actions.
4. Accountability Mechanisms – Establish mechanisms to hold leaders accountable for achieving equity goals.
5. Conflict Resolution – Address conflicts constructively and prioritize equity-centered solutions.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

• How do we foster a culture of trust and psychological safety within our organization and community, ensuring that all voices feel heard and valued?
• How do we cultivate emotionally intelligent leadership that is both accountable and empathetic in driving equity goals?
• How do we engage in deep self-reflection and cultivate self-awareness to recognize and address our unconscious biases?
• What compassionate and transparent mechanisms do we have in place to assess our progress, share meaningful insights, and ensure continuous growth toward equity?

AUTHOR OR INSTITUTION	TITLE	LINK	ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION
Center for Leadership in Educational Equity	CLEE Protocol Guide	Link	CLEE’s nationally recognized programs empower education leaders to transform instructional practices and systems, addressing the root causes of educational inequities and driving student success through shared leadership and continuous improvement.
Multi-Health Systems (MHS	Emotionally Effective Leader Workshop	Link	This interactive workshop provides leaders with tools and strategies to enhance emotional intelligence (EI) skills, fostering stronger leadership, resilience, and workplace effectiveness.
Kellogg Foundation	Logic Model Development Guide	Link	The W.K. Kellogg Foundation’s Logic Model Development Guide is a practical resource that enhances program planning, evaluation, and action by guiding organizations in developing and applying logic models to clarify and achieve their goals.
Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves	Emotional Intelligence 2.0	Link	This book offers a framework for developing emotional intelligence through practical strategies and self-assessment tools designed to improve personal and professional effectiveness.
Harvard Business Review (HBR)	Emotional Intelligence	Link	A curated collection of research and insights exploring how emotional intelligence impacts leadership, decision-making, and workplace dynamics, with a focus on self-awareness, empathy, and relationship management.
The Praxis Project	Developing an Equity Impact Assessment	Link	The article provides a guide on developing an Equity Impact Statement for local policymaking to ensure that policies are fair, equitable, and aligned with a jurisdiction’s commitment to addressing historic patterns of bias and discrimination.
YWCA	Municipal Equity Kickstart Guide	Link	The YWCA City Shift Kickstart Guide is designed to help municipalities incorporate an intersectional equity lens in planning, service, funding, and policy decisions to ensure that cities are designed and built to serve the entire community, particularly by including underrepresented voices in civic decision-making processes.