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🎙 Through a Different Lens – A Leadership Perspective on Emotional Reactivity

Edition 30 – Elite Leader Insights™ Podcast

In this episode of the Elite Leader Insights™ Podcast, Donald C. Kunkel Jr. explores one of the most misunderstood traits in leadership — emotional reactivity — and why it can be both a challenge and a hidden strength.

Too often, leaders dismiss emotional sensitivity as a weakness. In reality, when understood and managed well, it can improve trust, increase empathy, and sharpen preparation. The difference comes down to one thing: how you interpret and use the signals it sends.

Drawing from the TECCA Influence System™ and insights from The Foundations of Influence, this episode shares a personal story from Donnie’s Air Force career, the latest research on neuroticism and leadership, and practical strategies for transforming reactivity into influence.

This is for every leader who wants to better understand themselves, their team, and the perspectives that shape decision-making under pressure.

You’ll learn:

• Why emotional sensitivity is often misread in leadership
• The neuroscience behind emotional reactivity
• How reactivity can actually strengthen leadership influence
• Three practical ways to channel emotional sensitivity into trust and adaptability
• How the TECCA Influence Assessment™ turns self-awareness into measurable growth

📚 Resources Mentioned:

• The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead & Inspire
• TECCA™ Influence Assessment + Power Profile™ (Free for a limited time)
• Elite Leader Insights™ Newsletter

🎯 Final Thought:
Emotional reactivity isn’t a flaw — it’s a signal.
When leaders learn how to read it, they can transform it from noise into one of their greatest sources of influence.

Elite Leader Insights is hosted by Donald C. Kunkel Jr., founder of the Elite Leadership Center, author of The Foundations of Influence: The Power to Lead and Inspire, and creator of the TECCA Influence System

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