Do you know how to stop blowing hot and cold in the office?

I have an admission this week that I am prepared to share with you. Deep breath…I have to put on record, here and now, that I would find it impossible to work for Donald Trump. There, I’ve said it. That’s a weight off.?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not objecting just because of his policies or his lies. My main problem is his inconsistency. One day, he says one thing, and then the day after - or even later on the same day - he says the complete reverse. One minute, he is being nice to someone, and the next, he is being vulgar to them. I can’t abide working for someone who blows hot and cold like this.

I expect, though, that, like me, you have also worked with someone who behaves like this. It’s really difficult and very frustrating, isn’t it??

Researchers in New Jersey have just pinpointed the problem. In their recent analysis of “Jekyll and Hyde leadership,” they have established that a key psychological factor is triggered when bosses are nice to us one moment and then nasty the next. The periods of positive behaviour cause us to realise how negative the bad times are. In other words, the good behaviour only serves to emphasise the bad. Worse still, this puts those who work for inconsistent leaders into “emotional exhaustion”. In turn, this will inevitably lead to stress in the managers, making it even more likely they blow hot and cold due to increasing frustration with their team.

And there’s another problem, according to the New Jersey researchers. It appears that “Jekyll and Hyde” management is contagious. If you have managers behaving this way, you are more likely to do the same.?

However, managers who blow hot and cold could help avoid giving their staff a ride on an emotional roller coaster and reduce their own stress into the bargain. The answer, surprisingly, is in artificial intelligence. Researchers from the University of Southern California have discovered that artificial intelligence is more emotionally intelligent than humans. Yes, you did read that right. Computers are more human than we are.?

The study’s authors said, “ We found that AI-generated messages made recipients feel more heard than human-generated messages and that AI was better at detecting emotions.” In the study, artificial intelligence was superior in offering emotional support, which is crucial in making individuals feel as though they are being listened to.

In the area of “hot and cold” management, one of the emotional concerns among the victims of such behaviour is that they are not being heard. It seems inconsistent managers would be much more likely to get along with their team if they communicated through AI.

However, in a small study I’ve been involved with, it turns out that many people are still reluctant to use AI. Indeed, around a third of the people surveyed have not used ChatGPT at all, even though it was launched to the public back in November 2022. As someone who uses artificial intelligence daily, I was amazed at this finding. I had thought that almost every professional was using it in some way or another. It appears that people don’t think AI is “good enough” yet. But the research on the emotional intelligence of AI suggests this is a very outdated view.

If you are reluctant to use artificial intelligence, then it could be time to rethink your view, especially if you do not consider it as good as humans. If you blow hot and cold yourself, perhaps due to stress, then using AI to learn how to communicate better emotionally will transform your teamwork. And if you have an inconsistent boss, encourage them to use AI.

?And for the second week in a row, this is a newsletter that The Donald should read…!