Or: A Day in the Life of a Leader… Hijacked by Inner Saboteurs.

GRWM: Leading with Emotional Intelligence (While Ego Eddie Steals Your Spotlight)
POV: You’re a leader. You’ve got vision, EQ, and a killer color-coded to-do list. But surprise—your inner saboteurs have other plans.

We all say we’re emotionally intelligent leaders. But real leadership EQ? That’s tested in the wild.
Like… say… when Ego Eddie crashes your team meeting, or Imposter Irene shows up right before a presentation. Sound familiar?

Let’s take a little trip through a “typical” workday and meet the saboteurs who love to play dress-up as leadership qualities:

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🕗 8:32 AM – Ego Eddie slides in hot.
Team meeting. Someone challenges your idea.
Eddie: “Oh, so they think they know better? Absolutely not.”
Cue monologue. Goodbye collaboration.

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🕙 10:15 AM – Perfectionism Patty sharpens her red pen.
Finalizing that report. It’s 99.9% perfect.
Patty: “Let’s rework the title… again. And also, this font feels emotionally off.”
Cue delay spiral.

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🕛 12:47 PM – Imposter Irene joins you for lunch.
Just a quick scroll through LinkedIn…
Irene: “Wow. She’s younger, smarter, and doing everything better. Who even let you lead?”
Cue confidence dip.

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🕒 3:05 PM – Righteous Ricky kicks down the brainstorm door.
A teammate offers a stronger idea.
Ricky: “That’s cute. Now let’s redirect back to YOU.”
Cue one-way conversation.

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🕔 5:42 PM – You close your laptop.
You’re tired. The team’s drained.
You planned to lead with emotional intelligence.
But somewhere along the way, your inner saboteurs took the wheel.

👏 TL;DR:

Ego, perfectionism, self-doubt, and the need to be right aren’t personality traits. They’re emotional hitchhikers—and they’re not paying rent.

Don’t be like Ego Eddie. Don’t let Patty plan your calendar. Don’t split your sandwich with Irene. And never let Ricky run your meetings.

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Next time: How to break up with your inner saboteurs (without ghosting your personal growth).
Bring snacks. We’re evicting some emotional freeloaders.