You’ve probably heard it in the past: emotions have no place at work. Or, perhaps Donald Trump’s catchy “It’s nothing personal, it’s just business” line on The Apprentice stuck with you. But forget everything you’ve been told. Emotions and your business do work together – in fact, they work well as a team to help you achieve success. Just think of creativity. If you want to boost your company’s creativity to brainstorm exciting ideas, you need passion! There are many other reasons why emotions are important in business.
As with anything, moderation is key. If you’re letting your emotions get the better of you or cloud your judgement, they could be risky business. However, they can help you achieve your goals and encourage others to succeed, too.
They Help To Get Your Vision Across
Ask yourself: do you want to be seen as someone who’s difficult to read? You might think it’s good to lead from a distance, but what your employees will respect much more is if you’re open and honest sometimes – even if you have something negative to say. A study published on the Harvard Business Review found that 92 percent of respondents agreed with the statement “Negative feedback, if delivered appropriately, is effective at improving performance.” When you share your real feelings, without attacking anybody, you make it much easier for your employees to know what you want. You might also motivate them to work harder at your vision.
They Make You Empathetic
If you’re in tune with your emotions, you’re probably going to be tuning into your employees’ emotions – and that’s a really positive thing. If you notice body language, tone of voice, and how people say things, instead of just listening to their words, you can learn a lot from them, which can give you great insights into your company and what it needs. Remember, when your employees are satisfied, your business will succeed!
Research from Curtin University found that workers who claimed to be satisfied with their jobs earned lower than less-satisfied people. Job satisfaction is about more than money so don’t assume that your employees will be satisfied by their paychecks – how you treat them matters! As for you, you can’t have a thriving business without happy employees, even if you’ve got a great business idea that you know will attract people. You need your employees to make it happen, so treat them well.
They Help You To Resolve Conflict
Being open to emotions in the workplace isn’t just about expressing yourself and coming across as real to your employees. It’s also about having greater Emotional Intelligence, which gives you the ability to resolve conflict. When you’re reaching out to employees and showing compassionate, this can help you to heal workplace conflict and have a much more effective – and happier – working environment. Toxic workers, like the people who complain a lot or steal the spotlight from their co-workers can cost your business millions of dollars, but on the flipside they can actually be really productive. Working with them and using emotional intelligence to diffuse conflict they have with others can create peace, while also boosting their productivity so everyone wins.
They Create A Team
When you display passion and energy, it can be contagious! But it also fosters a team ethic. Researchers from the University of Queensland found that managers can boost productivity and prevent burnout by making employees feel part of a team. “Leaders who create a strong sense of ‘us’ and a sense of belonging within their teams help staff to feel more positive about their work,” Dr Niklas Steffens, lead researcher of the study, said. “This feeling translates to increased levels of engagement.”
Instead of leaving your emotions at the door when you enter work in the mornings, let them come inside! They have many benefits, such as building strong work relationships, helping to ease conflict, and contributing to your career success.
Author: Jackie Photo by Cristian Newman on Unsplash
How unreasonable are you?
Odd question, isn't it? I for one try to be reasonable most of the time, though my loved ones may not agree! Still, it's a worthy goal, right?
That reasonable approach doesn't always work. Sometimes, it pays to be unreasonable. On purpose.
Why? Being unreasonable in your goal setting can bring you to a whole new level in your business.
Don't just set a goal - set a 10x mega-goal.
Is this your reaction: Wha? I've got enough to do to reach the modest goals I've set.
If it is, that's the whole point. Setting modest goals may be holding you back. Big time.
Setting a mega-goal can launch you forward, waving merrily at those modest goals as you whiz by.
Here's how it works.
What would you do differently if your goal was to increase revenue 10x instead of 10%?
That's the point of 10x goals - to push the edge of ordinary, and to nudge you into thinking differently about your business.
It's true, setting nothing but 10x goals will drive you to distraction. You're best to have one or two mega-goals.
Make your mega-goal achievable by setting interim goals. The point is, your interim goals are very much informed by your mega-goal, and will be substantially different now that you're on the path to your mega-goal. It's a path that you wouldn't have taken if you hadn't set your 10x goal.
This 10x approach doesn't mean you should abandon all reason at the door. Continue to make your 10x goal, like every other goal, measurable, so you can determine if you're making progress.
Create short-term objectives that do make sense, all with your mega-goal in mind.
So how do you determine your 10x mega-goal? Simple.
Let's start with income. Say your income last year was $50,000. Your 2017 goal has been to increase revenue by 10%, to $55,000.
To get that incremental increase, you may have been planning some tweaks, some adjustments.
What if your goal was 10x rather than 10%? $500,000. Wow. That's a big leap! And it's not one you can take in one bound.
Instead, with that goal of $500,000 in revenue in mind, what would you need to start doing to get there?
Instead of improving your sales, your conversions, by a few percentage points, what would you need to do to shift that improvement by an order of magnitude?
Challenge yourself to come up with new ways to approach this heightened goal.
See how being bold opens you up to new possibilities?
And it's not just possibilities for your business. It's possibilities for you too.
So much of making more income and moving your business to a new level is changing yourself. In order to be the person who makes $500,000, you'll be different from who you are now. You'll grow.
Consider the ways you'll have to grow to be the businessperson who has a $500,000 business. What can you do, starting right now, to become that person? What would you have to learn? What skills would you have to develop? What mentoring would you need?
Having a business is so much about your own personal growth. Here's an opportunity to define for yourself where that growth is going, and how you can achieve it.
You may be tempted, if you've had a few setbacks, to be cautious in your goal setting.
Instead, be unreasonable! Mega-goals will give your business a mega-lift. Set 10x goals that will motivate you to more than you've ever imagined in your business.
Ursula Jorch, MSc, MEd, mentors entrepreneurs starting their businesses and seasoned entrepreneurs in transition to create the business of their dreams. Her coaching programs provide knowledge, support, clarity, inspiration, and a community of like-minded entrepreneurs to empower you to reach your goals. Start with a free guide and other valuable info at http://www.WorkAlchemy.com.
