Here we go … Week 2 of our four week boot camp for leaders!
4 weeks of leadership essentials; 90 minutes of “exercise” on the theme of the week.
Week 1 was about Setting Up a Game Plan for 2015, Week 2 is about the key to motivation.
As a leader, your emotional mindset and outlook have a huge and immediate impact on the mindset and outlook of the people you lead, which has been tested and quantified extensively over the last 20 years in the Emotional Intelligence (EQ) work of psychologist Daniel Goleman and his team.
Did you know that your EQ counts for 70% or more of your success as a leader?
Your IQ and relevant experience are necessary ingredients, but not the drivers of your success.
Week 2: The Key to Motivation: Handling Yourself!
First, ask yourself: What is your focus when you’re under stress at work? Is it on what’s still missing or wrong? Do you give the folks a piece of your mind to make sure they get just how high the stakes are? Do you blitz them with directives, make some abrupt unilateral changes to their in-process plans of action and proposed redirection because it has to get done and you know what will work? If your answer is “Yes”, even some of the time, then you’re creating an environment of fear, that shuts the door on individual confidence, collaboration, creativity and any shot you have at break through bottom line results, almost immediately. It doesn’t matter if you try to overcompensate later, over time the damage is done.
Next, get a handle on what triggers your negative emotions, and start to manage them when you interact with your teams. Sound like a tall order, on a tough day when the fiscal year results are tracking at 50% of objective with 3 months to go in the fiscal year? To figure out how you can manage it in the moment so it doesn’t become toxic emotional waste for your team try this:
Look back on the last few days or week to a situation that got under your skin – had you feeling upset or angry whether you showed it or not at the time. What about that situation bothered you? What (negative) judgment did you make about the person or people you were interacting with at the time? It can be hard to do on your own, so consider asking someone you trust who knows you well, what they feel triggers you. If they think you’re really open to hearing the truth, our experience tells us that they’ll hit the nail on the head.
To manage it in the moment when it happens, we’re not going to suggest you try to change your reaction… you’re human! We are going to suggest you notice it welling up inside you, count to 10 before you say anything about it, and ask a question about something else. That 10 second time out and redirect will help get you out of upset brain mode.
The key to this exercise is repetition … practicing it many times during the week!
Next Week (3) … Communication: Don’t forget it’s two way!
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