While Self Awareness is the most important competency for leaders, Managing Emotions is a close second. Many of us have worked in situations where one or more of the key leaders were poor at managing emotions. This is most often thought of as simply controlling anger. Yet, controlling fear, anxiety and other disruptive emotions can be equally important. Uncontrolled anger can lead to a very unhealthy culture. Anxiety and fear of failure can paralyze leaders who need to make critical decisions.
Dr. Dan Snively, in his Leader/Manager Assessment, states: “Managing emotions refers to the ability to understand one’s own thoughts and feelings and how they affect the person and everyone around them. Leaders and managers who are able to effectively manage their emotions are able to understand how feelings affect behavior. They are able to behave or act appropriately in response to their feelings.” This definition isn’t about just controlling emotions. It is instead about the appropriate and effective use of emotions in leadership.
Being able to choose how to show up in every circumstance is very important to a leader’s effectiveness. Excellent leaders who manage their emotions are stable, predictable, and trusted. Leaders and managers who mismanage their emotions sabotage themselves and their environments. Without self-awareness and self-management most other personal and leadership attributes lose effectiveness.
So let’s take a moment and consider:
How well do you understand your moods and emotions and their effect on your behavior?
How well do you balance your positive emotions and control your reactions in a leadership situation?
How well do you identify personal irritations to yourself and select appropriate responses?
How well do you Balance private and public pressures and challenges?
How able are you to think clearly and stays composed under pressure?
These are key behaviors involved in managing emotions. As you master skills in these areas, you can expect to be more effective in leadership situations.
These are some of the attributes of leadership included in The Lions Leader Manager Assessment. Ray Hoskins and Associates use this assessment. It helps our clients assess their leadership competencies. We then work with clients to help them identify which changes they can make to lead, and indeed, live more effectively. It does all begin with knowing yourself.
Contact Us to learn more about our Assessment and Leadership Advising Services. Visit our site at rayhoskins.net to see more posts about leadership and our other areas of interest.