Peak Potential Article

Many of us have been programmed to cast emotions aside in favour of logic and reason when making decisions. Yet emotions provide quick and easily accessible data that should be taken into account when making decisions.

Emotions, unlike moods, are a reaction to a specific stimulating event. They help us understand the event at a different level and you can use this enhanced understanding to make more intelligent choices about what actions to take in any situation.  If someone is angry we know that their view of the situation is that they have been wronged. If someone is resistant we know that they see the situation as a threat of some kind and if someone is sad we know they have lost something they valued. The simple art of knowing how you and others feel tells you a great deal about the situation at hand in the blink of an eye.

You can use this data, together with logic and reason, to accurately and quickly size up a situation before deciding how to proceed. A key reason we have emotions is to actually motivate and guide us towards specific responses. Each primary emotion signals an instinctive action we should take. Rather than trying to ignore, dismiss or suppress emotions, leaders should welcome them and the wisdom they bring. The instinctive action prompts associated with each primary emotion are:

• Anger – stand up and put things right in an assertive and constructive way.
• Sadness – learn from your loss – what happened? Why did it happen? How can you avoid it in the future?
• Fear – take reasonable actions now, doing all you can to reduce the chance of bad things happening in the future.
• Joy – do more of what led to this feeling and success.
• Surprise – pay attention and learn for things are not as you believed them to be.
• Disgust – do not accept this type of behaviour.
• Acceptance – show others that you value and care for them.

We are not suggesting that leaders abandon rational reason and logic when making decisions. Rather, we suggest that leaders take the time to consider how they feel and what actions such feelings are prompting, and then include this information in their reasoned evaluation of what to do.