{"id":18523,"date":"2015-01-08T11:43:09","date_gmt":"2015-01-08T10:43:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/?p=18523"},"modified":"2023-06-27T10:52:46","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T08:52:46","slug":"emotional-agility-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.igmanagement.it\/en\/2015\/01\/08\/emotional-agility-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Emotional agility"},"content":{"rendered":"

In an article published by Harvard Business Review<\/a>, Susan David and Christina Congleton give their views on emotional intelligence, introducing a new concept: Emotional Agility<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

According to the two psychologists, it is a well-established clich\u00e9 that ‘negative’ thoughts or emotions should have no place in the office.
\nAccording to this logic, managers must ‘always’ appear strong or convey enthusiasm to their employees. They must instil confidence and dampen any unseemly emotions that arise in them. But this goes against basic biology. All healthy human beings have an inner flow of thoughts and feelings that include criticism, doubt and fear.
\nThese emotions and feelings are adaptive in evolutionary terms: they seek to anticipate and solve problems and avoid potential pitfalls in the environment and it is also for this reason that we cannot call them ‘negative’.<\/p>\n

The authors found, in their practice as business consultants and trainers, that leaders do not have problems because they have undesirable emotions or thoughts (as it is normal to have them), but because they allow themselves to be overwhelmed by them.
\nThis happens in two ways: by finding confirmation of their own opinions or by indulging their interlocutors.
\nWhen they give importance to their thoughts they treat them as if they were concrete, objective facts, and generalise them instead of contextualising them in the moment:
\n“…the same thing happened to me in my previous job … so I am a failure in every job I do or will do…”
\nThey avoid situations that require similar performance:
\n“…I am not going to face such a new challenge…”
\nThey exceed in rationalising events:
\n” …I should not have thoughts like this … I know that I am not a total failure”<\/em>.
\nWhereas when they pander to their supporters, they impulsively engage in activities even when these go against their core values and goals:
\n“…go for it! Try it! By taking on such a new task, you will surely overcome failure…”<\/p>\n

In both cases, leaders devote too much attention to their ‘internal chatter’, and thus waste important cognitive resources that could be put to better use.
\nThis is a frequent problem: it is often perpetuated by entirely personal coping strategies (the person does not seek advice and acts without support from the professional).<\/p>\n

Executives often manifest performance anxiety, as they have little awareness of the correct way to manage time and priorities; they may experience jealousy over the success of others, fear of rejection, or other cognitions or emotions that are potentially dysfunctional in the pursuit of their work goals.
\nClearly, these techniques do not work. Quite the contrary. There is ample evidence that attempting to minimise or ignore emotions and thoughts only serves to amplify them:
\n“….Close your eyes, and DON’T think about the PINK ELEPHANT!”<\/em><\/p>\n

Effective leaders know how to manage their thoughts and feelings constructively, and achieve the desired success: this adaptive mode is called Emotional Agility.
\nEmotional Agility can help people relieve stress, reduce mistakes, be more innovative, and improve work performance.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The authors propose four practices – adapted from the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model, originally developed by University of Nevada psychologist Steven C. Hayes – that are designed in a self-administered form:
\n1. RECOGNISING ONE’S OWN PATTERNS
\n2. LABELLING ONE’S THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS
\n3. ACCEPTING ONE’S THOUGHTS AND EMOTIONS
\n4. ACTING ON OWN VALUES<\/p>\n

the FOUR STEPS<\/p>\n

RECOGNISING OWN MODELS<\/p>\n

The first useful step in developing emotional agility is to notice when you feel entangled, overwhelmed by your thoughts and feelings.
\nThere are some telltale signs:<\/p>\n