When you find yourself in a difficult situation in the workplace, how do you handle it? Do you lose your cool and jump into a shouting match? Do you storm out of the room? Do you insist your way is the only way and condemn those who don’t agree? Or maybe you take a deep breath, realize where you are, cognizant of the emotions flying around you. Are you mindful?
I recently had the incredible opportunity to attend Google’s Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. Based on Chade-Meng Tan’s proven method to enhance emotional intelligence not only at work, but in your personal life as well, the program offers the education and skills needed to practice mindfulness at any time.
When you think about the characteristics you admire or respect in a leader or manager, many times they are emotional attributes. In order to strengthen your emotional intelligence, it takes practice. What can you and your team do on a daily basis that not only helps each team member personally, but benefits the entire team in the end? At globalHMA, we have been implementing small practices. When we need to step away from a thought or an idea, we take a short walkabout. This enables us to come back to center and perhaps change our perspective a bit.
Another way we encourage emotional intelligence is to balance work and play. When you fill your ‘spare’ time with activities that inspire you, when you are present in that moment and really take it in, the creativity and focus you bring to your position are truly noticeable.
There are many other things we can do to eliminate stress overall. With each moment of practice, we can only improve.
How to you manage stress in the workplace? Do you implement mindful practices?
