When life is not proceeding according to plan, you can be sure that your emotions will be the first to let you know.

We all have plans. We all have preconceived notions of how things should go. When they don’t come to fruition, our emotions raise the alarm. They do more than simply tell us that something is missing; they let us know that our values and beliefs have been violated.

Emotional awareness is, therefore, key to developing leadership - in particular our capacity to deal with what can't be measured or controlled. We need to be emotionally aware. More importantly, we need to understand our emotions; we need to appreciate what they are telling us about ourselves. Our emotions are an invaluable pointer in helping us comprehend what is happening to us – not some while later, but as it happens.

This full awareness is a vital attribute. It allows us to exercise – in the moment – an adult choice about what to do next. We are put back in control. We are able to act responsibly.

Contrast this with a less aware response: we become victims to our pre-programming. We repeat past patterns and, as a result, the scene plays out in an all-too-familiar and possibly quite damaging way.

LifePi creates emotional awareness. It identifies our normal, reflexive emotional patterns. It helps us understand how and why they formed. It makes us acutely aware how they, today, sabotage us in our day-to-day interactions. The more we are able to bring this awareness to bear, in the moment, the more we are able to behave as adults – in control, with awareness and with full responsibility for our actions.

It takes practice. But it is an invaluable characteristic for any leader.