Self-Regulation: Embracing An Essential Skill For Exemplary Leadership
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~ Daniel Akst
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Self-regulation is essential for executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs in dynamic business environments!
It's a much-needed and healthy ability of leadership to monitor and manage one's internal emotional state in the face of external events and people without losing focus and rationality.
Executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs who can self-regulate well are empowered to stay focused no matter what's happening around them.
In contrast, those struggling with self-regulation may feel easily thrown off and manipulated into sabotaging their performance.
SELF-IMMERSED PERSPECTIVE
A 'self-immersed perspective' is about focusing inwardly and allowing an intense emotion to spiral out of control by fixating directly on it!
For example, to ask questions like...
? "Why am I so bad at this?"
? "Why am I so angry?"
? "Why do I feel so overwhelmed?"
This fixation can backfire by perpetuating negative thoughts and feelings, leading to downward spiralling rumination and a mood skewed toward negativity, anger, and, in some cases, helplessness.
SELF-DISTANCED PERSPECTIVE
In contrast, a 'self-distanced perspective' is about mentally stepping back from the situation and examining things from an outside perspective!
This outside perspective is like advising a friend and has been shown to have more positive short- and long-term benefits.
It leads to better self-regulation and more effective mood, attention and performance management!
Interestingly, in a related finding, distraction in the face of acute emotional stressors was found to have some short-term benefits.
It helped people pull themselves back into their desired state of focus, but no long-term benefits.
They didn't improve their ability to stay focused or avoid letting adverse events or opponents get into their heads.
SELF-REGULATION, NOT SELF-CONTROL
But it's crucial not to confuse self-regulation with self-control!
Self-control involves inhibiting strong impulses, while self-regulation reduces the frequency and intensity of strong impulses by managing stress load and recovery.
So,?self-regulation makes self-control possible or, in many cases, unnecessary!
The already mentioned findings are deepened and even more brilliantly explained in Daniel Akst's book 'Temptation: Finding Self-Control in an Age of Excess'. [1]
In it, the American journalist, critic, and novelist emphasises the importance of self-regulation, referencing history, literature, psychology, philosophy, and economics.
He vividly portrays the many-sided problem of desire as a root of missing self-regulation and shrewdly delivers a blueprint for avoiding a campaign of self-destruction.
Because executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs who regulate themselves effectively...
? Know how to control themselves.
? Make well-thought-out and rational decisions.
? Do not stereotype people or compromise their values by overreacting to their feelings.
These are all characteristics of exemplary leadership, and they are all made possible by self-regulation.
This should reassure and instil confidence in executives, leaders, and entrepreneurs about the importance of this skill!
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#LeadershipDevelopment #ExemplaryLeadership #LeadershipEmotions