Authenticity, humility, honesty, and courage are hallmark leadership traits that research has attributed to a leader’s emotional awareness. In today’s knowledge economy in which the majority of your workforce is made up of knowledge workers – those people whose jobs require formal and/or advanced education and are often professionals in their own right – there is now a critical need for leaders at all levels to possess a deep emotional awareness of both themselves and of those they lead.
Emotionally aware leaders re highly practiced with the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and it places them in a position to model emotionally balanced behaviour. More important, it enables them to be responsive to others’ needs, which is a primary contributor to employee engagement. Most people are not born with emotional awareness that comes with the skill of Positive Presence – it is, for the most part, a learned ‘skill’.
One of the paramount detriments to performance in today’s knowledge economy is the negativity that arises from people’s negative electro-magnetic neuro-chemical energy. The skill of Positive Presence equips you with the tools and brain science necessary to effectively replace the negative thoughts and feelings with positive ones and in so doing you are equipped to influence the positive in all those around you.
Its important to note that, for the most part, your brain is not wired for the positive – you are actually predisposed to the negative. But, your brain can be easily taught to recognize the negative, then release the negative, and replace it with positive thoughts and feelings. So it is, that a keen emotional awareness is needed for you to be able to respond appropriately to the concerns and needs of your followers.
Today’s work environment is wrought with negative emotionally charged events and situations. A common employees question, “How will (fill in the blank) affect my job?” is emotion driven. It implies worry or frustration about their work livelihood, not an intellectual interest in the job dynamics. Worry and frustration are negative emotions. Emotionally aware leaders are responsive to these feelings.
In a crisis situation or when encountering a fallout from any of their decisions, emotionally aware leaders are courageous and calm. They minimize panic and confusion by providing comprehensive and candid information. They offer alternatives and resources. They display knowledge, resolve, and control. They show empathy and willingness to help. They make themselves visible and available to answer any questions and they listen to comments. They encourage employees to contact them directly, not their assistants or lower-level managers.
They refuse to take personally any employee frustrations, and they show respect for these feelings. And they do not participate in or give credence to negative discussions and rumors.
Research from the neurosciences has established that positive emotional energy is necessary for achieving peak performance, building strong and sustainable relationships and experiencing good health in the workplace. We all know what Emotional Intelligence is. The challenge is to be continuously aware of your own emotions – ensuring at all times that you are creating within you the positive thoughts and feelings that lead to the behaviours of emotional intelligence. Not only that, you must be continuously aware of the emotions of those around you. To do that, you have to learn the skill of Positive Presence.
Catherine is the President and CEO of CORPORATE HARMONY, providing virtual solutions for leadership development and organizational culture change. Her leadership and coaching experience as a Project Manager in an ever-changing, fast moving technological organization with unrelenting demands drove her to the realization that a positive mindset and strength-building behaviors are essential for today’s complex and chaotic organizational systems. CORPORATE HARMONY’s virtual platform of programs, coaching and performance measurement, is an innovative online technology of tested proprietary content. The world-class content of CORPORATE HARMONY’s Positive Presence Program develops the skill of ‘Positive Presence’ and the necessary ‘Positive Presence Behaviour Competencies’ for maintaining a positive and energized mindset and increased performance in today’s complex work environment, and leading to a culture of collaboration and connection. Catherine’s vision for Corporate Harmony is to bring the skill of “Positive Presence” to the corporate world as it becomes more complex, ambiguous and chaotic. Catherine is uniquely positioned to impact organizations’ productivity and long term success, with her powerful vision of eliminating bad stress from every workplace around the globe, bringing purpose into the people equation to promote healthy, productive and meaningful work cultures and turn the tide on the neglect of mental health on a global scale. Catherine is author of the book: “CORPORATE HARMONY – The Performance Link for Today’s Modern Organization” Catherine can be reached at: Catherine.Osborne@corporateharmony.ca or go to ‘contact us’ on our website www.corporateharmony.ca. Catherine is available for consultation, and can be reached by 519-695-3407.