The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore how public-school principals, who were identified to be self-aware, described their communication techniques and emotional responses when leading teachers through change initiatives to meet school performance goals in Southwest Michigan. Daniel Goleman's emotional intelligence theory was the theoretical foundation. There are two research questions: How do public-school principals who are determined to be self-aware describe their emotional responses when leading teachers through change initiatives to meet school performance goals? How do public-school principals who are determined to be self-aware describe their communication techniques when leading teachers through change initiatives to meet school performance goals? The sample cohort included 10 school leaders within Southwest Michigan. This study's data collection occurred through a self-awareness questionnaire, open-ended interviews vetted by an expert-review panel, and artifact collection. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis process was used to analyze all the principal interview transcripts and data. The overall summary of themes for RQ1 is school leaders experience a wide-range of emotions, specifically they remain calm, listen and are empathetic. They are also strategic when communicating to stakeholders. Self-aware leaders provide clear reasoning, model, are empathetic, while also communicating in stages with layers of their stakeholders. Timing and mode of communication is essential. Within this study, principals' responses and communication techniques were projected and accepted that their emotional reactions communication techniques were important. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]