Why HR leaders need to get better at honing their emotions in the workplace
As we move on into 2022, employers have one overriding concern – plugging the emerging talent gap. The aftereffects of the pandemic, coupled with overnight digitization and a now global candidate pool, means a lot of Canadian organizations are struggling to source and attract new hires. In that vein, HRD spoke with Liz Fosslein and Mollie Duffy – the co-authors of the Wall Street Journal bestseller, No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work and speakers at HRD’s upcoming webinar, who revealed how employers can supercharge their talent process by tapping into emotion and appreciation tactics.
“During the recruitment process, employers should seek to keep hold of their integral emotions,” prefaced Fosslein. “By that, I mean those emotions related to the decision you’re facing – and at the same time get rid of any incidental and unrelated feelings. Most importantly, don’t rely on emotion when deciding whether or not to hire a candidate. Instead, use structured interviews to reduce biased hiring decisions.”
In their book, Fosslein and Duffy detail the best ways to navigate the emotional playing field of the modern workplace and express an identity in an acceptable way. The book reveals that emotions are contagious - which means actions can have a positive influence on an entire organization’s emotional culture. What’s more, in order to increase your autonomy as an HR professional, you need to make small changes to your schedule. When you look at this in the context of employee experience, HR leaders should practice honing their emotions to get the most out of all current and prospective hires. However, it’s important, as Duffy explained, not to show ‘too much’.
“Research shows our brains respond positively to people when we feel a personal connection with them,” she told HRD. “We try harder, perform better, and are kinder to our colleagues. Command and control management is on its way out, and bosses who practice empathy and make an effort to connect with their subordinates are in. This willingness in leaders to be open and honest, even if it makes them vulnerable, is important because it builds trust — people can easily sense inauthenticity. However, people who overdo this accomplish just the opposite and can end up completely undermining themselves.
“If leaders share information that suggests they are not up to the task — for example, ‘I’m scared, and I have no idea what to do right now’ — there’s a good chance their team will take on that same emotion, or worse, lose faith in their ability to lead. People in charge have to think longer and harder than the rest of us about when to be transparent because they have more eyes on them. Every time they are vulnerable (or are not vulnerable), their reports are watching and analyzing their words and actions for a deeper meaning.”
In order to walk that line between being authentic and open but not erratic and unsure, leaders must practice emotional fluency on a daily basis. Emotional fluency is being able to sense, translate, and effectively apply the power of emotions in a healthy and productive manner. And while many of us never learned how to talk about our emotions in a professional setting, it’s high time we bite the bullet and start.
“In order for leaders to get better at their emotional fluency, they should start by understanding their own emotions and when they would be helpful to share,” added Fosslein. “Make some space in the day to speak about your emotions – though try to do this in a non-emotional way.”
To hear more on the best methods of practice emotional fluency and tapping into employee emotions, sign up for HRD’s upcoming webinar here.
