Learning to Manage Your Emotions at Work
25 March 2008
Read by 1498 persons
Too sensitive, too angry, too susceptible, too anxious, too expansive… Managers are increasingly considering their employees’ ability to manage their feelings. Tips for maintaining emotional balance.
Want to slam the door in your boss's face? Want to cry after your manager's criticism? Want to run away before a crucial meeting? Working life demands a series of positive and negative emotions every day. "Emotions are an integral and inseparable part of daily organizational life. From moments of annihilation or joy, sorrow or fear, to the constant feeling of dissatisfaction or imprisonment, the work experience is saturated with feelings," emphasized Ashforth and Humphrey, two American experts, in a study on emotional labor.
Learning to know yourself...
Staying in control of your emotions requires introspection. If you can list your skills and know-how, do you really know the situation(s) that will cause a change in your emotions? Anger, sadness, fear, joy, shame, guilt… Learn to decode what lies behind each of your feelings. This step back will allow you to go beyond the simple feeling to find a solution to the problem. To avoid being overwhelmed and overrun by your emotions, you must also learn to recognize the warning signs. Before simple, passing annoyance towards your colleague turns into a fit of anger, before a moment of spleen leads to a crying fit on your computer keyboard, you can react and regain control if you pay attention to your emotions.
...and to know others
Working in a team means being confronted daily with the emotions of others. To avoid conflicts, stress, or a toxic atmosphere, it is best to learn to decode expressions, glances, and tone of voice. With this knowledge, you will be able to defuse risky situations and communicate better by taking into account the emotional state of your colleagues.
Take a step back. Finally, to protect yourself emotionally, remember that the criticisms, remarks, or praise exchanged in a professional context are about your work and not about you as an individual. It is therefore strongly recommended that you do not identify with your work in order to remain calm in all circumstances.
Posted on March 25, 2008
Emploifrance5.fr
Want to slam the door in your boss's face? Want to cry after your manager's criticism? Want to run away before a crucial meeting? Working life demands a series of positive and negative emotions every day. "Emotions are an integral and inseparable part of daily organizational life. From moments of annihilation or joy, sorrow or fear, to the constant feeling of dissatisfaction or imprisonment, the work experience is saturated with feelings," emphasized Ashforth and Humphrey, two American experts, in a study on emotional labor.
Learning to know yourself...
Staying in control of your emotions requires introspection. If you can list your skills and know-how, do you really know the situation(s) that will cause a change in your emotions? Anger, sadness, fear, joy, shame, guilt… Learn to decode what lies behind each of your feelings. This step back will allow you to go beyond the simple feeling to find a solution to the problem. To avoid being overwhelmed and overrun by your emotions, you must also learn to recognize the warning signs. Before simple, passing annoyance towards your colleague turns into a fit of anger, before a moment of spleen leads to a crying fit on your computer keyboard, you can react and regain control if you pay attention to your emotions.
...and to know others
Working in a team means being confronted daily with the emotions of others. To avoid conflicts, stress, or a toxic atmosphere, it is best to learn to decode expressions, glances, and tone of voice. With this knowledge, you will be able to defuse risky situations and communicate better by taking into account the emotional state of your colleagues.
Take a step back. Finally, to protect yourself emotionally, remember that the criticisms, remarks, or praise exchanged in a professional context are about your work and not about you as an individual. It is therefore strongly recommended that you do not identify with your work in order to remain calm in all circumstances.
Posted on March 25, 2008
Emploifrance5.fr
