management at your own risk , but there are ways to avoid these costly situations . Here ’ s how you do it .
Emotional intelligence
Often referred to as “ emotional quotient ” or EQ , emotional intelligence is the way that you combine your thinking with your feelings in order to make quality decisions and build authentic relationships . The ability to effectively understand and manage emotions is essential to success in the modern workplace . That ’ s because almost every workplace encounters conflict that can leave employees feeling stressed . How do you deal with it ?
As a manager , your reactions can either mitigate or escalate a tense situation . EQ lets us recognize and manage our own emotions , recognize and manage the emotions of others , motivate ourselves , and maintain healthy relationships . It ’ s not easy to remain calm when everyone around you is in reaction mode or stressed , but emotionally intelligent managers handle these situations with ease and grace .
Here are some ways to incorporate EQ into your workday :
Check in Do an emotional check-in with yourself . Take five minutes at the beginning and end of your day to consider how you are feeling . At the beginning : What do you aspire to do ? How do you want to show up ? And at the end : Did your feelings affect your behavior ? What will you do differently tomorrow ?
Identify your emotions When we can name our emotions , it gives us a better chance of managing them effectively . We can communicate how we ’ re feeling more easily to others , and we can start to look for patterns in our behavior that might be linked to our feelings . Plutchik ’ s Wheel of Emotions is a helpful tool in identifying and labeling what you ’ re feeling . The wheel shows eight core human emotions ( joy , trust , fear , surprise , sadness , disgust , anger , anticipation ) and how these emotions intensify ( towards the center ), become milder ( outer edges ), or even combine ( between spokes ) to produce any emotional state .
Be aware of the emotions of others Leaders need to be able to read people ’ s emotions and understand how they are feeling in order to be successful . If a leader does not understand how his or her team is feeling , it will be difficult to lead them effectively . A leader recognizing a team member is feeling apprehension can ease concerns by asking clarifying questions and providing clarity on expectations and next steps .
Authenticity
Authenticity at work means being honest about your thoughts , feelings and experiences . It means being genuine in your interactions with others . It means being who you are , not who you think you should be . It means being human . Being authentic at work can be challenging as a manager , especially if you feel like you have to put on an emotional mask to be an effective leader . A common leadership instinct is to protect the team by not sharing emotions , especially negative ones . Omitting your true feelings is a form of what psychologists call “ emotional dishonesty ” and over time it can erode trust . Here are some ways to practice connecting to your authentic self :
Be more honest with yourself and others This means being open about your emotions . If you ’ re having a tough day , own it . Remind your team that it ' s okay to be upset or frustrated . Start sharing ways that you work through emotions ( by understanding , interpreting , and responding to that emotion ).
Don ’ t give your team the opportunity to misread your emotional cues Most people are not great mind readers ; this is also true of your team . Being open with your team about how you ’ re feeling gives them the opportunity to understand you better , build trust , and not make the wrong assumption .
The best managers are emotionally intelligent and authentic . When you have a deep understanding of yourself and others , you can use this knowledge to create a positive work culture where employees are more engaged , productive and excited to work for you .
Betsaida LeBron is the Sacramentobased founder of ImprovEQ , a training and consulting company that helps organizations bring joy and humanity to work . Reach her at Betsaida @ improvEQ . org
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September 2022 | comstocksmag . com 23