Followers will follow leaders who resonate an arena of self awareness. Simply put, self awareness is having a deep understanding of our strengths, limitations, values, motives and, above all, a clear channel to our own feelings, not blurred by our memory-based emotions, and having a sense of what matters most. Goleman says that the most telling sign of self awareness is the propensity for self reflection: this helps in understanding others and enhances other awareness. Goleman states that "Many outstanding leaders, in fact bring to their work life the thoughtful mode of self reflection that they cultivate in their spiritual lives." This varies between individuals but can result in a philosophical quest for self understanding.

Research conducted by McKee 2002 shows that opening up a shared language promotes unity, and this is how to see the organisation succeed and what is getting in the way of that success. A process that involves focused conversations and open ended questions intended to get at people feelings is utilised. This process helps the creation of the ideal vision of the company, supporting the premise that 'a company that communicates within it perimeters is the company that can communicate to the world'. While this might strike some business leaders as a bit removed from business issues, it is only when people talk about their feelings that they uncover root causes of problems in the culture and the true sources of inspiration around them. Also when people have authentic conversations about how they feel about their organisation, there tends to be a high level of agreement about what is working and what is not.

McKee argues, that within a conversational approach to collecting data, themes become apparent that are typically much more meaningful and less generic than those that usually emerge from attitude surveys or the interview process. Here lies the connection between Core Empowerment Training and the Emotionally Intelligent company. By taking on board the premise that 'emotions are based on attitudes, beliefs and judgements we held in the past which colour our present perceptions and ideas on currents events' we can eliminate destructive emotions and focus on what, if anything, can be used to bring us into the present and allow us a clear vision and non-judgmental view of the climate or culture of the organisation.