Three Ways Emotions Hurt You
Often, the negative impact of emotions exacts an incredible toll on leaders and the people who follow them.
Here are three ways emotions can hurt your leadership:
1. Emotions can distort reality.
When you’re having a bad day, you convince yourself it’s over when it’s actually just beginning.
You see negative things more negatively than you should. You take things personally when you shouldn’t.
Even positive emotions can hurt you when they are detached from reality. If you’re overly positive, you can ignore reality, miss impending dangers and gloss over problems that actually require your attention.
That’s why keeping a healthy heart is so important.
2. Negative emotions make everything about you.
Bad days or bad seasons are most often fueled by pain. A stinging email triggers a deep hurt. A bad staff situation eats away at your joy. A season without momentum erodes your self-confidence.
You end as a leader in pain. And pain is selfish.
In the same way that stubbing your toe makes you forget about whatever else you were doing until the pain is resolved, your emotional pain (no matter its source) makes you more selfish as a leader.
People in pain …
Don’t listen well to others.
Withdraw and sulk.
Blame others.
Eventually turn every conversation to a conversation about themselves and their needs.
Want others to share their misery or sadness.
Seek attention.
All of that behaviour is selfish.
And selfish leaders are never effective leaders.
The best way to get rid of your selfishness? Get rid of your pain.
Pray about it. See a counsellor. Drill down on your issues.
