Emotions and the Workplace - (Chapter 4)
Episode #102 Host: Tammy J. Bond
Tammy drops a truth bomb right from the start: Our emotions, not our thoughts, motivate us. This episode is a quick, hard-hitting guide on how your emotions can either drive you forward or keep you and your team stuck in a pattern of limiting beliefs. Tammy provides a four-point framework to help you master self-awareness, manage your emotional triggers, and turn your emotional intelligence into the "entry ticket" for every successful conversation.
Key Takeaways for Leaders
- Emotions Win: We move in the direction of the dominant emotion. If you don't own your emotions, they own you and will hijack your team's success.
- The Power Pause: When emotions start to rise, push the pause button, take a breath, and ask the next best question to slow down the spin.
- The Real Raw Material: Emotions are not the enemy; they are the raw material of trust, connection, and performance.
- Words Create Pictures: The language you use creates a visual in your mind, and you attach emotions to that picture, which directly creates your performance. Change the words, change the outcome.
The 4 Points for Emotional Mastery
- Awareness is Your Entry Ticket: Your self-awareness is the entry ticket to every conversation and problem-solving at every level. If you are dysregulated, you cannot be situationally aware of others.
- Vacancy is as Dangerous as Volatility: Retreating, sitting silent, and vacating a difficult moment is just as damaging to trust as blowing up. It communicates a "No Vacancy" sign that pushes people away.
- Self-Efficacy Fuels Collective Efficacy: If key players on your team lose the belief that they can succeed (self-efficacy), it bleeds into the whole team's belief (collective efficacy).
- Words Create Pictures, Pictures Create Performance: Be intentional about the words you and your team use, as the visualizations attached to them pre-determine your results.
Actionable Tools & Quotes
Quote: "Your emotional awareness and ability to handle feelings will actually determine your success and happiness." — John Gottman
Quote: "If you don't own your emotions, they own you."
The 24/72 Rule: When hijacked by emotions, utilize the 24-hour push-pause option (or 24/24/24) to process, go back to the conversation, and check in again.
Your Challenge: Master self-awareness by tuning into your physical and mental triggers (heart rate, gut feeling) before you engage.
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