What’s your leadership impact?

As a mom with a toddler, the day I’ve been dreading is finally in view – potty training. As I’ve been reading articles, books and psyching myself and our child up for this day, I’ve been reminded of the importance of emotions on outcomes. Let me explain.

Most of these books reflect on the need for parents to remain positive, focused on praising the child with each little success and remaining calm during the inevitable accident. A parent’s emotional control is proven to drive results, as it allows the child to be focused on successfully performing the task at hand – going potty – rather than on their mistakes.

Interestingly enough, leaders have a similar obligation to their teams and subordinates. In their article, “Primal Leadership,” Goleman, Boyatzis and McKee reflect the role a leader has in driving the performance of their team – all through the lens of the leader’s mood [1]. They cite a multitude of studies that affirm the idea that a leader’s emotions have the power to drive the success of the team. The authors ask the following series of self-reflective questions to help leaders each assess their emotional state and create an action plan for change:

1. “Who do I want to be?” Exploring this question allows a leader to envision their ideal self.
2. “Who am I now?” Answers to this question are greatly aided by a 360-review, or comprehensive evaluation of their leadership performance, or other feedback and allow a leader to have a realistic picture of their actual self.
3. “How do I get from here to there?” Ideas generated through this question lead to opportunities, trainings, competencies, etc. to help leaders fill the gap between their ideal and actual self.
4. “How do I make change stick?” Reflections here allow leaders to make a commitment to the change they desire by considering what accountability measures they can design to keep them on track.
5. “Who can help me?” People listed in this final phase create a community of support to keep the leader inspired and motivated to make change.

Whether or not you’re potty training or knee-deep in projects, it’s important to take stock of your emotions and ensure your mood is aligned to drive positive results for your team.

[1] Goleman, D., Boyatzis, R., & McKee, A. (2001). Primal Leadership: The Hidden Driver of Great Performance. Harvard Business Review, 79, 11, 42-51.