As a public service professional, you’ve worked hard to build deep expertise and navigate complex systems. You know knowledge matters. You know experience matters. And most importantly, you know results matter. But in practice, you’ve likely realized that technical expertise alone isn’t enough to lead people effectively. Expertise may open the door to leadership, but it won’t necessarily keep you in the room or guarantee a seat at the decision-making table.
Four Shifts to Lead with True Impact
Understanding Yourself
Self-awareness is the foundation of effective leadership. Knowing your strengths, blind spots, and triggers allows you to respond intentionally instead of reacting automatically.
Managing Yourself
High-stakes decisions and crises are part of public service. Staying calm under pressure sets the tone for your team, creating a safe space for them to perform at their best.
Understanding Others
Leadership presence is how others experience you. Listening actively, communicating clearly, and showing empathy builds credibility and trust.
Building Strong Relationships
Leadership is relational. Leveraging emotional intelligence to resolve conflict, inspire collaboration, and align expectations turns knowledge into meaningful impact.
The Bottom Line
Expertise may get you noticed, but presence and emotional intelligence keep you effective. By understanding yourself, managing emotions, connecting with others, and nurturing relationships, you transform capable teams into resilient, high-performing ones. In public service, these skills aren’t optional — they’re essential for making a lasting difference in the communities you serve.
And remember, it all starts with you.
Carolyn Mozell is passionate about leadership and its transformative impact on individuals, teams, and organizations. As the Founder of Leaders Who Connect and Inspire LLC, she empowers nonprofit and government leaders to break down silos, unify teams, and achieve shared goals through impactful training programs and immersive retreats that enhance communication and emotional intelligence skills.
Carolyn has served in some of the highest levels of local government leadership across both the legislative and executive branches, as well as in roles as a nonprofit COO and entrepreneur, making her uniquely qualified to support leaders and teams at all levels, in navigating challenges with clarity, cohesion, and a strong sense of purpose.
Carolyn holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Maryland and is a certified DISC and Emotional Intelligence Practitioner. Outside of work, she enjoys crafting, being a wife and proud pet mom to her adopted cat, Eva.
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