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Good Leaders Get Emotional Sometimes
June 22, 2021
Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.
-Brené Brown
-Brené Brown
"We hide emotions to stay in control, look strong, and keep things at arm's length," observed Doug Sundheim, in his article "Good Leaders Get Emotional," in Harvard Business Review (August 15, 2013). "But in reality, doing so diminishes our control and weakens our capacity to lead because it hamstrings us. We end up not saying what we mean or meaning what we say. We beat around the bush. And that never connects, compels or communicates powerfully.
Yes, being too emotional in business can create problems. It clouds objective analysis, screws up negotiations, and leads to rash decisions. But in nearly two decades of working with leaders, I've found that showing too much emotion is far less of a problem than the opposite - showing too little.
Emotions are critical to everything a leader must do: build trust, strengthen relationships, set a vision, focus energy, get people moving, make trade-offs or tough decisions, and learn from failure."
Nancy Rosenow, in Leading Early Childhood Organizations, writes: "For many years, leaders were taught never to appear too emotional. In the past, administrators were often judged as too weak if they ever discussed concepts as ‘squishy’ as leading in a heart-centered way. Recently, though, this misunderstanding has been turned on its head, as more and more has been written about the need to enlist both head and heart in service to effective leadership."
Leading Early Childhood Organizations to get ALL Art of Leadership titles for only $19! |
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Leadership matters in early childhood. Leading Early Childhood Organizations provides you with practical advice from top experts on leadership in the early childhood arena. Content focuses on the skills required to lead an organization, supervise staff, and manage the organization.
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Comments (3)
Displaying All 3 CommentsLincoln, Nebraska, Australia
Joanne and Diana, thank you for the thoughtful comments!
Wonders Early Learning + Extended Day
Bethesda, MD, United States
The research on emotional intelligence was critical to expanding the definition of a good leader - especially for women in leadership roles, who have long had to navigate negative stereotypes about being "too emotional".
Stonework Play
Leominster,, Massachusetts, United States
I think what you wrote is' hands on' to being safely and almost completely authentic with others especially who you are leading and / or sharing insight. It is like you are a lead ship , possibly even leading in darkness to lightness The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships all constructed according to the same general design. The term as you know is applicable to military ships and larger civilian craft. So sharing with truth and genuine emotions will provide smoother sailing and a safer landing and the freedom to breath with ease.
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