This article was written by Claire Marriott and originally posted on LinkedIn here.

As we continue to try and navigate these unprecedented times, we can firmly hold onto strategies such as the setting of smart goals. This gives the organisation, its respective individuals, and teams something concrete to work towards and help them steer through. When it comes to goal setting though how might we do this better? we talk about SMART and motivating goals yet how often do we really connect in with our emotions and how we feel about our goals.  

Setting the right goals may seem like an easy thing to do, but in practice while it’s a goal and it follows all of the SMART measures, an emphasis on targets and challenges that people need to work towards, we can often find is there is no energy towards actually achieving these. For goals to help us learn and grow we have to be motivated by them.  When it comes to motivation our emotions act as the guide, they...

There is no one way to exercise leadership.

But emotion is critical.

Because emotion helps you understand who you are working with. It also helps you build relationships with your people based on who they are – not who you are.

Emotional leadership involves:

Awareness of the importance of emotions - yours and others - and their impact on individuals and the team as a whole. Then using that emotional awareness and understanding to shape the culture of the team positively

Understanding your people, where they are emotionally and being able to help them manage their unpleasant feelings and express pleasant feelings

Sharing your vulnerability and leading by permitting people to bring their whole selves to work

Creating an environment where people's feelings matter and it's safe to express themselves fully.
You - the leaders - set the tone.

You must bring your whole self to work. Separating yourself from leadership is not an option. Separating yourself from your emotions is not an...

Mat Kearney is a partner of Inside Consulting.

He believes good leadership is about caring for people and care for performance.

There should be an equal amount of care for our people's health and wellbeing and the care for the performance of the organisation.

Emotional leadership is all about the awareness of the importance of emotions – acknowledging the impact of for the individual and collective.

Using that emotional awareness and understanding to positively shape the culture of the team in a deliberate and intentional way

Mat beloieves being a leader who is connected to emotions, and understanding the importance of emotion means we can earn trust and respect and create a connection on a deeper level.  

***

Want to learn more and try the ECD for free?

• Download and play with the game for free here
• Follow The ECD Instagram here
• Follow us on Facebook here

Jim Dryburgh unlocks the power of emotions to better understand his people and the human condition. Making people feel safe, supported and empowered.

Welcome to Emotional Leadership by Jim Dryburgh, Chief of Staff at NZ Defence Force. Jim is an ECD Certified Consultant aka Pro Elephant Rider.

Learn from him all about his approach to leadership and the role emotion plays in high-performing teams.

Watch the full 9min episode here. It's packed full of surprising and powerful leadership gems:

There's a myth that work and emotions don't mix. That we need to check them at the door. Lots of leaders suppress feelings or avoid expressing them. We're gonna flip workplace conversations and show you how embracing emotions as a leader will change the way you lead.

There is no one way to exercise leadership. But emotion is critical. Because emotion helps you understand who you are working with. It also helps you build relationships with your people based on who they are – not who you are. 

Emotional leadership involves:

• Awareness of the importance of emotions – both yours and our peoples' – acknowledging the impact of them on the individual and collective impact they have on the team. Using that emotional awareness and understanding to positively shape the culture of the team – deliberately and intentionally.
• Understanding your people, where they are emotionally and being able to help them manage the unpleasant...

Learn from Cricket Wellington CEO, Cam Mitchell, about his approach to emotional leadership and how ECD adopters and Practitioners can get the most out of the game when working with CEOs.

***

Want to try the ECD for free?

• Download and play with the game for free here
• Follow The ECD Instagram here
• Follow us on Facebook here