![]() These hijacks can be particularly strong when something in our environment triggers the memory of an experience from our past. Have you ever found yourself having an intense emotional response to something that was objectively benign? We call this an amygdala hijack: when the amygdala response is so strong, it overpowers our capacity to guide our behavior. When we come up against a trigger-a missed deadline, a tantruming child, news or feedback we don’t want to hear-our amygdala can mistake stress for imminent danger and disrupt the prefrontal cortex. It is the home of our fight, flight, or freeze response: when an elk detects a panther in the wild, the amygdala tells it to attack, run, or play dead. This small almond-shaped mass is responsible for detecting and responding to danger. It guides how we plan, express our personalities, and moderate our social behavior.ĭeep in the very center of our brain is the amygdala. Located in the very front of our brain, just beneath our forehead, the prefrontal cortex is the home of forethought. The Brain Science of Emotional Self-ControlĮmotional Self-Control lies in the relationship between two parts of the brain: the prefrontal cortex and the amygdala. When a leader loses Emotional Self-Control, those events stand out and one toxic interaction overshadows a disproportionate amount of good.Įmotionally intelligent leaders go to great lengths not to be bowled over by their emotions, let alone spread the negative ones. Research also shows that when it comes to work, memories of toxic interactions with a leader stick stronger than memories of what has gone well. Your caregiver’s ability to manage their emotions dictates the quality of your internal world. For anyone who has grown up with volatile caregivers, you may have had the experience that you were always on guard, waiting to see if they could keep you safe. This phenomenon also happens in the home. In a work context, this affects things such as employee satisfaction, burnout, and teamwork thus impacting financial performance, turnover, and absenteeism. This is known as “emotional contagion”-when people in power dictate the mood of everyone around them. The more down the leader, the worse the team performed. The more upbeat the leader, the more productive the team. In a study involving simulated teams, she found that the mood of the team was directly impacted by the mood of the leader. Sigal Barsade, an award-winning researcher from The Wharton School, examines how emotions impact organizational culture. Not only does this competency impact our mental and physical well-being, but it’s vital for maintaining trusting and productive relationships. Create the conditions for others to contribute their best effort and ideas.Engender more positive interactions than negative ones.Engage in meaningful and productive conflict.Stay focused and agile in stressful situations.When we are in Emotional Self-Control, we can: In plain words: It means we keep our $%!t together no matter how intense our feelings. One of four self-management competencies, it refers to our ability to stay calm, clear, and collected in the face of distressing emotions and disruptive impulses. In Daniel Goleman’s framework of Emotional Intelligence, the goal is to ‘Self-Regulate’ and to exhibit ‘Emotional Self-Control’. Learning to manage our responses to strong emotions is a natural part of being human. When was the last time you “flew off the handle?” The last time you had an overwhelmingly strong reaction and responded in a way you regretted?Įveryone has experienced this-being overcome with emotions such as frustration, sadness, fear, stress, hurt, or rage- feeling something so strongly that you lose the ability to respond with calm and forethought. Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window). ![]() Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window).Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window).Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window).
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