The days of denying our emotions at work are quickly fading. Leaders must understand how their emotional space influences the way they think and act. More and more employees ask for vulnerable and courageous leaders who are not afraid to show up authentically as a human being.
We cannot deny the humanness of leadership.
As humans, there is an emotional space that we are always living in and ignoring the influence that area has is a critical mistake.
Sure we could go on with the teachings we have all heard like “suck it up sunshine” or “never let them see you sweat,” or we can do the right thing and acknowledge the emotional landscape and the influence it plays.
If a leader is truly going to understand the vibrant culture of a team, they must start with an understanding of their emotional state.
Over the past couple of decades, the world’s pace has increased with work and home, no longer separate entities with non-competing priorities. It has become apparent that more and more people are feeling stress, emotional stress.
In a 2017 study by the American Physiological Association (link below), which polled 3400 Americans in the 18+ demographic, 61% of surveyed indicated work as a stressor.
