Ashish KothariMake flourishing your competitive edge

Is your "leadership armor" actually damaging your relationships and organization?

16 Mar 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

0:46

In this monologue, the speaker argues that many leaders adopt a metaphorical "armor"—a shield that hides or suppresses their emotions—because they view emotional expression as uncomfortable or risky. He contends that, contrary to the belief that rational thought drives actions, strong emotions are the primary drivers of behavior, influencing both impulsive actions and avoidance patterns. By putting up emotional walls, leaders hinder authentic engagement, which can damage personal relationships and the health of the organization. The speaker shares personal observations of how this emotional shielding leads to relational strain and organizational dysfunction.

Chapters

There's so many leaders who feel that they need to have the shield, this anchor, this heavy armor that I'm carrying. Yeah, you know, don't even want to share my own emotions with anyone. I maybe don't even want to feel the emotions because they feel uncomfortable. Forget about sharing it with others. And yet our emotional lives control so much of our behaviors. Yeah, it's not our rational cognitive thoughts, it is often the emotions, especially the strong ones, either that make us act out, or other ones that keep us from not engaging, from putting up walls, from pulling back, when what's really needed is to be able to move towards. I've seen the damage it does to relationships, personally, and organizations.