Scenario: A manager publicly berates an employee in front of the team, the negative ripple effect impacts all who witnessed it. Honing self-awareness and implementing key strategies to manage emotions will help the entire team.
The Challenge
A significant error occurred on a very substantial project. The manager is furious and berates the employee responsible in front of the whole team. His disappointment and anger are justified considering the situation. However, what the manager doesn't realize is that his behaviour and actions do not just impact the employee he confronted; there is a negative ripple effect that impacts all who witnessed the confrontation. Furthermore, the manager believes publicly reprimanding the staff member will send a message to others to 'scare them straight' to enhance overall productivity.
The Marshall Connects Solution
This situation is screaming for more self-awareness, in particular, the self-awareness strategy, 'Observe the Ripple Effect of Your Emotions.' Emotion is powerful and can quickly influence our mood and those around us. It's essential to control our emotions by observing their effect, especially when working in a team. In stressful situations such as this, being self-aware cannot be underestimated.
Using emotion is natural and useful; our emotions send us important messages. But if we allow our feelings to overpower us, they interfere with the effectiveness of how we deliver a message. No one feels comfortable watching another team member be humiliated, nor do they want to be the manager's next target. Due to the way this situation played out, there is a good chance if something goes wrong on the next project, instead of being proactive, the employees may lack initiative and do less instead of more to 'play it safe.'
When this happens, it doesn't make your team feel secure; it negatively affects morale and overall productivity. We encourage our clients to observe their emotional reactions – the ripple effect and work to realign them with alternative ways to communicate and deliver positive results for all. Understanding the way your emotions impact your team will significantly improve morale, productivity, and go a long way in building a trusting team environment.
From the Client:
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Linda taught us the tools for improving our Emotional Intelligence, self-awareness and mindfulness. We are confident that with continued use of the tools Linda provided us with (possibly increasing our awareness of) we will continue to see the benefits.
