The universe speaks when you stop and listen
Emotional intelligence is one of the most sought-after skills in leaders, and it is the ability to understand and manage one’s emotions. It’s closely related to empathy. As a leader, if you can work out what your people need on an emotional level, then you can be more precise in how you meet their needs. This focus then has positive knock-on effects on engagement and productivity. In one survey, 86% of employees reported that having an empathetic leader allowed them to better balance work and life commitments.
Emotions serve as an attentional cue to what’s going on in our immediate environment. For example, if you feel nervous before a big meeting or fearful when the boss is in the office, those emotions are powerful signals that should prompt action. There’s no question that emotion disrupts reasoning, but at the same time, it plays an incredibly vital role in arriving at the right decision.
When you understand how to recognize and then act on what you’re feeling, you can powerfully shape both your attitude toward work and your workplace reputation.
What your negative emotions signal
Often with negative emotions, we act first and ask questions later — which can be a recipe for disaster. Negative emotions also narrow our thoughts to the threat at hand and we can lose the ability to see the bigger picture. Some of the most common negative emotions in the workplace are anger, uncertainty, and frustration.
When we feel angry with our colleagues, we can become blind to their true intent, and this creates a lot of unnecessary stress. We become impatient. Our energy resources become depleted and we’re more likely to snap over the smallest infraction. Once you recognize the source of your anger, identify what you need to address it. And don’t be afraid to channel it productively — anger can be a great motivator for better performance.
When we feel uncertain at work, it can be paralyzing. When feeling uncertain, the best thing to do is to look for what is within your power to control. That could be more autonomy at work, your reaction to events, your health, etc. We often have much more in our remit to control than we might think. Uncertainty is signaling that your organization is going through change or is on the cusp of change, but by managing your emotions, you can be on the front foot of grasping the opportunity that change brings.
When we feel frustrated, it’s because something or someone has gotten in the way of our goals. Frustration often negatively affects work performance and work interactions. For example, we’re much more likely to assume the worst of our colleagues. We’re more likely to give up. We’re less patient with colleagues. We’re more likely to assume the worst. Therefore, when feeling frustrated, remember it’s rare that your colleague is intentionally being a jerk or has bad motives in mind; rather, most bad behavior is due to a situation versus your colleague being fundamentally a bad person.
What your positive emotions signal
It doesn’t take an intuitive leap to understand that when we feel good, we perform better. For example, research shows that happy employees are 13% more productive than their miserable counterparts. Collaboration and trust also increase when we feel positive. Studying the impact of discrete positive emotions, such as joy, happiness, and pride, continues to be a growing area of organizational science.
Pride can be a strong intrinsic motivator when harnessed correctly, and it stems from our need to be valued by others. Pride can become a superpower when we hone our ability to correctly gauge how valuable others will perceive our actions to be. At work, if you have a success, don’t be afraid to celebrate it (and make sure others know about it).
If you’re looking to up your performance game, time the request for when you’re feeling grateful toward your employee or your colleagues. Why? When we’re feeling grateful, our openness to advice-taking increases. That makes it a great time to ask for coaching or feedback.
Managing your emotions at work
Your emotions can be a superpower or your kryptonite — and you decide which it will be. But remember: emotions are temporary. Don’t let a short-term reaction to an event have long-term consequences. Emotional regulation at work can be effortful, but the career payoffs are high.
