Harnessing the Power of Emotions at Work
As humans, we’re inherently emotional. There’s no way to turn it off. It can be uncomfortable to share emotions at work. Yet, Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, authors of *No Hard Feelings*, suggest that embracing our feelings can make us better at our jobs. The authors recommend expressing emotions at work instead of suppressing them. This can help both ourselves and others. It’s like knowing when to take a chance at National Casino India to improve your chances of success.
“All good things start when we acknowledge what we’re feeling. “It starts by letting yourself feel and noticing what you’re going through,” says Liz.
In this Creative Confidence Podcast, Liz and Mollie discuss emotions at work. They provide a system to help us make better choices based on our feelings and explain how to shift from emotional intelligence to emotional agility.
Understanding Emotions in Context: It’s Different for Everyone
Liz and Mollie wanted to share many experiences in their book. Still, they know it doesn’t cover everything. They see that everyone’s background, such as gender, culture, and identity, shapes their feelings and how they show emotions at work. As white women, they see how their experiences affect their views. Their research included voices from different races, ages, and genders.
They also point out that most research on emotions at work focuses on binary gender roles. This approach can exclude many people. They encourage readers to adapt their book’s advice to fit their identities.
Cultural differences greatly influence how we express and interpret emotions. For more on this topic, check out The Culture Map by Erin Meyer. It looks at how cultures differ in communication styles, emotional expression, and handling confrontation.
Liz and Mollie suggest setting clear expectations for your communication style. This can help cut down on misunderstandings. You might say, “I speak directly, so don’t take it personally,” or “I need time to think so that I may return to this later.”
Selective Vulnerability
Emotions vary from low to high expression, so there’s no single way to handle them. They also vary by culture, industry, and work environment. Liz and Mollie note that sharing some emotions can help leaders build trust. But if they share too much at the wrong time, it can harm their credibility.
Liz and Mollie suggest being selectively vulnerable. This helps you find the right balance in how much emotion to share at work. Selective vulnerability means taking a moment to choose which feelings to share. This allows those around you. A good question to ask yourself is, ‘How would the person I’m talking to share this with me right now?’
Make Better Decisions by Tapping Into Emotion
Liz notes that we often learn to separate emotion from logic. But emotions can be quite rational. For example, the instinct to avoid a dangerous snake shows this. Leaving feelings out of decision-making might seem reasonable, but they add value.
“Liz says that if we ignore our emotions, they can still surprisingly impact our choices.” “And then that might bias us.”
So, what’s the right approach? Liz and Mollie made a checklist. It helps you sort important emotions from unnecessary ones during tough decisions.
Manage Your Mind Decision-Making Checklist
- Write out your options — What are all your possible decisions? For example, if you’re deciding on a job, you can take the new job, stay at your old job, or quit and keep looking.
- Write down your feelings—excitement, doubt, or frustration.
- Remove unrelated feelings. For instance, being tired due to a lack of sleep doesn’t matter in choosing a career.
- Relate your feelings to your choices — If you feel anxious, is it about the new job or staying where you are now?
- Ask what, not why — Often people ask why they’re feeling a certain way. But the more straightforward question to ask is what: I’m excited. What am I excited about?
- Make a decision — You’ve found the emotions that matter, so now it’s time to decide.
This process works by helping you recognize useful emotions. You learn to understand what these feelings can teach you. “This is when you can make the clearest, most balanced choice,” says Liz. “Because the most relevant emotions are informing it.”
Emotional agility: Leveling up from emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence has received considerable attention, and for good reason. Liz and Mollie define it as the ability to understand what you’re feeling and what others are feeling. In a work setting, it helps you connect with others and lead with empathy. Emotional fluency means knowing what you think and using the right words to express it.
Liz and Mollie believe these skills are key to job success. The next step is emotional agility. This means you understand emotions. You have the right words to describe them. You also know when and how to share those feelings. Mollie thinks of it this way: “I need to understand how I feel, but also who to tell how I feel.” Try this exercise to build your emotional agility.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, using emotions at work is not about expressing them. It’s about being smart. We can use our feelings to choose better, connect more deeply, and lead well. We can create a healthier, more connected workplace. We need to be open at the correct times. Also, we should share our feelings and improve our emotional skills. Liz and Mollie stress that knowing and managing our emotions is not a weakness. Instead, it’s a strong tool for career growth and success.
