Why It Is Time To Let Anger, Disgust, And Sadness Take More Control

There is a very good reason why I dedicated my second book to my brilliant therapist. Taking care of your mental health is just as important if not more so, than your physical health right now. 

I’ve shared this article 8 times this week with executives from different companies so I decided to feature it this morning.

If you haven’t watched Pixar’s Inside Out Movie I highly recommend it, and if you don’t have an expert to help you talk about your emotions perhaps that’s a gift you can give yourself.

Here is the original Inc Magazine article and sharing the text here too.

Six Reasons Why Anger, Disgust and Sadness are Not to be Feared. 

My phone has Joy, a character from Inside Out on the cover. This has prompted surprising comments from the executives I work with. Many share how they love the Inside Out movie whether they have children or not. Unexpectedly, the conversation has turned to how applicable the movie is to how they manage their own emotions at work. Not only has this movie now grossed $760.1M in box office sales, it has valuable lessons for executives and entrepreneurs:

1. Don't let anyone see your disgust. 

There are some people who you would love to play poker with, those who cannot hide their disappointment. How they behave in the boardroom is likely to reflect how they would perform at the poker table. I see this emotion the most when leaders are in disagreement with each other. Rather than articulate, they don't agree with their peers' point of view, the speed they talk, how they answer questions and their tone will give away what they really think. They may as well add a teenager eye-roll at the end just to really underline their level of disgust!

2. Don't keep your sadness in a circle

In the movie, the character Sadness is told to stand in a circle and not leave, but her role becomes even more important as the movie progresses. It is time to bring this least talked about emotion to the front of your conversations. If you are sad about not getting that promotion, that your competition beat you to releasing a new product, or the quality of your new service wasn't as expected, say so. Rather than bottle up your sadness, own it, express it, and ask for what you need next. 

3. Let anger run the show. 

When I used to work at British department store retailer House Of Fraser, our Store Manager paged me from the cosmetics department and shouted down the phone "Valerie, get this girl out of my store NOW!" I couldn't get him to explain any more details as he was so mad. He was angry because one of the sales team was chatting with friends and not being attentive to customers, he couldn't even talk to her, so-called me to vent and deal with the situation. Research from UC Berkley suggests that expressing anger can lead to more successful negotiations in life and at work. There is a useful speedometer of madness that lets to categorize your anger... Just like the movie, anger sometimes needs to run the show. 

4. Don't go the same way as Bing-Bong. 

Memories that are not regularly revisited fade, just like Bing Bong, Riley's part elephant part cat imaginary childhood friend made from cotton candy. When your company is growing fast and adding many new employees it is easy to forget to slow down and remember your past successes and achievements. Regularly remind your team, your peers, and your investors of the past memories you want to preserve. 

5. Not everyone is as excited about change as you are.

Are you as oblivious to how people around you are reacting to change just like Riley’s dad with a cellphone permanently stuck to his ear? Riley struggled with the move to San Francisco, but her work-obsessed Dad didn't prioritize paying attention. Are you noticing the emotions on your team? 

6. Know your islands of importance. 

Goofiness, honesty, family, hockey, and friendship were the islands in Riley’s mind that defined her. As she failed at hockey try-outs, Hockey Island crumbled away. What are your islands of importance and how are you protecting them?

Without my new Joy phone cover, I would never have prompted so many passionate, personal and powerful conversations with how to harness your emotions. Perhaps it is time for a virtual team viewing of the movie so you too can get your emotions from your inside, out. 

To your rapid growth,

Val

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