The five senses we learned about as children—sight, hearing, touch, smell, and taste—represent only part of the human sensory system.

Our bodies possess additional systems that help us understand where we are and what is happening within us. The vestibular system contributes to balance and spatial orientation. Interoception helps us perceive internal bodily signals. Proprioception gives us an internal awareness of our body’s position and movement.

Leadership requires its own expanded awareness.

There is what we see: facial expressions, posture, participation, behavior, movement, and changing patterns.

There is what we hear: words, tone (pitch and quality), pacing, hesitation, emphasis, and silence.

There is what we sense within ourselves: tension, defensiveness, urgency, curiosity, discomfort, confidence, or the impulse to react.

There is also our awareness of where we stand in relation to others.

I think of this as leadership proprioception.

Just as physical proprioception allows a skater to understand their body’s position without constantly looking at it, leadership proprioception involves recognizing your position within a human system.

How much space is your body and voice taking up?

How is your authority affecting the conversation?

Are people responding to your idea, your title, your emotional state, or some combination of all three?

Are you inviting candor or unintentionally discouraging it?

Has the room shifted while you were focused on delivering your message?

Then there is the environment itself: the relationships, power dynamics, histories, expectations, and unwritten rules influencing what is happening.

Sense Leadership brings these sources of information together.

It does not mean trusting every feeling or assuming every perception is correct. A quiet employee is not necessarily disengaged. Hesitation does not automatically mean resistance. Tension does not always indicate conflict.

A signal is information. It is not necessarily a conclusion.

Sense Leadership therefore requires something beyond intuition.

It requires awareness followed by curiosity.

We answer the question Why Is Sense Leadership Important?