Why Emotions Matter in the workplace?
M Azeem Saheer - PCC
Human Capital Specialist | Facilitator at Luminary Learning Solutions | ICF-PCC | EQ Leadership Coach |EQ Practitioner| Emotional Culture Catalyst | LEGO? Serious Play? |Hands On Thinking Coach | Speaker |Podcaster
Engage your emotions at work, Your instincts & emotions are there to help you : Richard Branson
In a bustling city, Sarah worked as a project manager in a fast-paced tech company. The office was known for its competitive environment, where achieving targets often took precedence over personal well-being. Sarah, however, believed that emotions played a vital role in the workplace.
One day, a major project hit a roadblock, threatening to derail the team's progress. Sarah noticed that her team members were growing increasingly frustrated and demotivated. Recognizing the importance of addressing their emotions, she decided to take action.
Instead of reprimanding the team for the setbacks, Sarah called for a team meeting. She started by acknowledging the challenges they were facing and the emotions those challenges were evoking. She encouraged open discussions, allowing team members to share their frustrations, concerns, and even fears. As they talked, a sense of relief washed over the room – they weren't alone in their struggles.
Thinking this would be just another story ? Absolutely, you're spot on. This is a prevalent issue in many workplaces. Often, leaders and organizations view employees as task-executors, ignoring their emotions and humanity. However, emotions don't affect just individuals; they can influence entire teams and organisations as Emotions are contagious.
Have you ever asked your team members, "How are you feeling today?" instead of just focusing on tasks? Have you ever considered how your organization's success is defined and what emotions your people should experience to achieve your goals?
Like Sarah did, fostering open conversations lets leaders connect deeply with their teams. Recognizing emotions, both in oneself and others, is vital for effective leadership. Just as Sarah did, emotionally intelligent leaders can sense when team members are overwhelmed, excited, or frustrated, allowing them to provide the right support. Enabling them to label the emotion is crucial as it will enable leaders to support their team members.
By acknowledging emotions and creating an atmosphere where feelings can be expressed, leaders build psychological safety. This encourages collaboration, trust, and innovation. When employees feel valued not only for their work but also their emotional well-being, it cultivates a positive and productive environment.
“ Labeling your emotions is key. If you can name it you can tame it”- Marc Brackett- Yale center for emotional intelligence?
I strongly believe that personal and professional lives are interconnected. Early in my career, a manager advised me to keep personal matters outside the office. However, can we truly separate the two? People bring diverse emotional states to work, especially in high-pressure situations.
The question is: Can they perform well when facing difficult emotions? Emotions hold significance. They shape how we feel, which influences our behavior, impacting performance.
When a team member underperforms, don't assume it's solely due to training or skill gaps. Emotions might be at play. Like Sarah, recognizing individual behaviors is key. This is where an emotional workplace culture matters.
It's vital to define desired emotions, behaviors, and values within the organization. Understanding what sort of behaviours should and shouldn't be demonstrated by team members is crucial.
Here are my key insights on fostering emotions in the workplace:
1.???? Conversations: Encourage open discussions among team members. Informal conversations can be particularly valuable. These dialogues help leaders understand their team better. Ensure you block time on the calendar and create a suitable environment.
2.???? Emotional Landscape: Collaboratively define desired and undesired feelings for the workplace. Identify triggers for these emotions and discuss how to manage them effectively. Make sure you involve your team members when Crafting this blueprint
3.???? Behavioural Guidelines: Based on emotions, define desired as well as undesired behaviours and virtues for your team. Communicate these clearly and consider displaying them in visible areas.
4.???? Regular Assessment: Periodically review progress through surveys, anonymous feedback, or even an emoji-based dashboard. These can be valuable information
5.???? Shift in Language: Replace "How are you doing?" with "How are you feeling?" as a valuable indicator of emotional well-being.
Keep in mind that emotions are valuable data; leverage them to empower individuals and unlock their potential.
领英推荐
Here are several advantages you'll gain by cultivating an emotional culture in the workplace:
Employee Well-being: Emotions directly influence employee well-being and mental health. A positive emotional state can lead to higher job satisfaction, reduced stress, and improved overall mental and physical health. Conversely, negative emotions can contribute to burnout, absenteeism, and turnover.
Decision-Making: Emotions play a role in decision-making processes. People often make decisions based on their emotional responses, even in seemingly rational choices. Understanding and managing emotions can lead to more balanced and informed decision-making.
Customer Relations: Emotions also impact interactions with customers or clients. Employees who can manage their emotions well are better equipped to handle challenging situations, provide excellent customer service, and maintain positive relationships.
Performance and Productivity: Employee emotions impact their motivation and engagement levels. Positive experiences can lead to increased focus, higher levels of engagement, and improved performance outcomes.?
In Summary Emotions are not just personal experiences; emotions significantly impact the workplace. Managing emotions improves well-being, teamwork, decision-making, leadership, and organizational culture, enhancing overall success and productivity.?
Creating an emotional workplace culture is strongly advised because you're not merely managing individuals but people with diverse emotions- M Azeem Saheer?
?
?
Let’s flip what the world feels.?Check out The Emotional Culture Deck – the?#1 game for better workplace culture. Use it to create and amplify human conversations about what matters in the workplace:?www.ridersandelephants.com/the-emotional-culture-deck
?
About the writer,
Mohamed Azeem Saheer?brings with him over a decade of hands on experience in management both in Sri Lanka and the region. Azeem’s experience in multiple industries offers him the unique ability to offer context and empathetic appreciation for the different programs he runs. Azeem is a Lead Facilitator at?Luminary Learning Solutions ,?one of the one of first?Genos International Certified Emotional Intelligence practitioner, First?riders&elephants ?certified Emotional Culture Deck Practitioner and?International Coaching Federation certified PCC Level coaches in the country. He combines a unique flavor to his programs via Lego Serious Play : bringing the ‘fun’ of our childhood favorite toy Lego and combining it with ‘serious’ topics : enabling an immersion into learning.