Starting Work
comments powered by Disqus
Keeping Emotions in Check
September 09, 2009
Imagine that you’ve just returned to work from a three-day weekend. Your break from work was not quite as relaxing as you had hoped. Maybe it rained. Maybe some friends canceled plans at the very last minute. Maybe some issues arose at home. As you turn your computer on and begin to scan your e-mail, you discover a convoluted request from the person to whom you report. They have just dropped a complex project into your lap, and as they’ve frequently done in the past, they’ve given you an impossibly short deadline. You feel your blood pressure begin to rise.
Before you explode, take a deep breath. In fact, walk away from your computer. Do not, let me repeat, do not send an immediate e-mail reply telling the sender exactly what you think of their request and the unrealistic deadlines they have set yet again. Instead, especially in these tough economic times, keep in mind that letting your emotions get the best of you in the workplace may lead to negative consequences.
The ability to manage one’s emotions is a skill critical to business success. While we all experience a now-and-then bad mood, organizations look for professionals who can maintain a calm demeanor. Because emotions can be contagious, business leaders know that the perpetual complainer, whiner or plain angry person can impact others within the organization and sometimes cause disastrous results. (Rightly or wrongly, explosive expressions of emotion can be especially problematic for women professionals, who are likely to be labeled with a word that rhymes with “witch.”)
When you find that you have arrived at work in a less than happy mood, recognize your state of mind and then deal with it. Plan on keeping sour thoughts under wraps. The professional who succeeds at managing their thoughts and emotions will be viewed as successful at managing all of their interpersonal relationships at work.
comments powered by Disqus
