Have you ever wanted to put a situation on Pause? A prospective client called me for this very reason. She shared the following reason with me for wanting to engage in a professional relationship with a coach to enhance her leadership performance.
She was recruited through an executive search firm to join her current organization, a company that had been on her watch list as one she would like to join at some point in her professional career. She was thrilled, the leadership role she was being offered was aligned with her skills and abilities, the work she would be required to lead was meaningful and aligned with her purpose, and the organization had an employee value proposition that supported the organizations mission. Her executive recruiter encouraged her that she was the right candidate, at the right time to get on the bus. It was a great new shiny bus and she was excited to join the organization.
Two weeks into the job she began to realize that she was the right person to get on the bus however the shiny new bus that she boarded was at a minimum in need of a full-service maintenance overhaul and at best it needed to be replaced. She realized she was in for a wobbly ride at her dream organization.
Fearful of settling into leadership behaviors that she deemed unproductive, which contributed to an emotionally charged organizational climate, she elected to partner with a coach to begin her development of incorporating “The Power of the Pause” in her day to day activities. We begin our engagement focusing on Emotional Intelligence – specifically Self-Regulation.
If we were to take a moment and reflect, I am certain we all can identify someone in our organization most likely at the leadership level that is “out of control” and we know to avoid at all cost.
Self- regulation is the second pillar of emotional intelligence. It focuses on how you control and manage yourself and your emotions, inner resources and abilities. It is about Impulse control.
In an emotionally charged organizational climate, according to Daniel Goleman, psychologist, emotions cannot be ignored but they can be managed. Self-regulation is a skill to be managed.
Self-Regulation requires leaders to Pause and be:
Reflective vs Reactive
Engaging vs Pontificating (pompous, dogmatic)
Selective – choosing the appropriate emotional response
For my client – the behaviors requiring a pause in her organization were yelling, angry outburst, dismissiveness, argumentative, slamming doors, inflammatory emails, constant threats of firing employees…just a few examples, and the list continues. All behaviors impacting productivity and employee morale.
At the time of this article, my client is still on the bus and enjoying her work environment. As a leader in the organization, she worked with her peers to reset the organizational climate, through agreeing on and modeling positive and collaborative leadership behaviors, instituting and training leaders on Emotional Intelligence and using her voice as a vehicle for change.
Is it time for you or your organization to master the Power of the Pause to reset your organizational climate? Are you ready to understand and incorporate Emotional Intelligence for a more productive work/life experience? Let’s Discuss by scheduling your coaching consultation today.