Discussion 1

I have placed a sample of a discussion submission that has one more than the minimum required two replies and is well supported in the initial posting and in the replies. While the sample has older sources (From a prior term), you are expected to have 2020 or 2021 sources but 2021 sources are best, in addition to using the textbook sources.

You only need to upload the main article that you are connecting to the concept from the chapter in your initial posting. In your initial posting, you will want to also cite the textbook and concept information (paraphrase) from the textbook so that you are clearly demonstrating how you are extending that concept in the article that you chose. Clarity of communication is a leadership standard that we will cultivate in this course.

Lastly, in your responses to your colleagues, you are encouraged to have more than one source, although one source is the minimum.

Note: There are no direct quotes.

Emotion Regulation and Leadership

Before reading Chapter 4 of our text I realized a need to regulate my emotions based on an observation from one of my employees. As a leader I was disappointed in myself for visibly emitting that type of energy. Robbins and Judge (2017) describes emotion regulation as the ability to recognize and adjust the emotions that one is feeling. My need to alter by behavior was based on a fear of negative emotional contagion; allowing my emotions to negatively affect the emotions of my team (Robbins and Judge, 2017). According to Robbins and Judge (2017) leaders that project constructive emotions allow for a more inspired atmosphere for their followers; while sorrow sharpened followers analytical abilities due to the need to support their leadership. I want to talk about how we as leaders can control emotional contagion.

Barsade (2021) shares some action steps that augment employee engagement and performance by guiding leaders to increase their awareness of emotional contagion. First, a leader must be mindful of their own mood and assure a joyful temperament (Barsade, 2021). Being cognizant of nonverbal communication is also important; meaning being aware of facial expressions, body language, and tone (Barsade, 2021). Strong eye contact with team members is important and allows them to attach to your emotions (Barsade, 2021). If a follower is in a negative space, have a conversation with them about it to make them aware and they will likely change their disposition (Barsade, 2021). Lastly, create a culture of positive emotions by encouraging cheerfulness and make it the norm (Barsade, 2021). Utilizing these steps allow teams to regulate emotions together and increases leadership success.

References

Barsade, S. (2021, April 20). Leadership influence: controlling emotional contagion. Knowledge@Wharton. Retrieved from https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/leadership-influence-controlling-emotional-contagion/

Robbins, S., & Judge, T. (2017). Essentials of organizational behavior (14th ed.). Pearson.

Leadership Influence.pdf

Developing Emotional Intelligence

Student 1 reply,

great post. To piggy baggy off Jessica, Emotional Intelligence (EI or EQ) has played a vital role in my leadership during COVID-19 pandemic. Nevins and Mirabella (2020) describes EQ as the ability to recognize your own emotions and the capacity to act with empathy toward the emotions of others. Going forward, EQ will continue to grow as an important aspect of leading. Practicing the following tips are imperative to continuous improvement in EQ for individuals as well as their organizations: have frank conversations about EQ, reward those with exceptional EQ, acknowledge leaders for their EQ, practice virtual EQ, aid others in developing EQ, and establish more intimate relationships with others (Nevins & Mirabella, 2020). The state of business has evolved to the point of no return during the current crisis and EQ is critical to organizational success today as well as in the future (Nevins & Mirabella, 2020).

Reference

Nevins, M., & Mirabella, A. (2020, September 30). Why a post-covid world demands greater emotional intelligence. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/hillennevins/2020/09/29/why-a-post-covid-world-demands-greater-emotional-intelligence/?sh=33f24caa6bbd.

Shifting Skills

Student 2 reply

I want to share some leadership skills that are important to develop moving forward. These skills tie in very nicely with Chapter 3 of our Robbins and Judge text as well what you have mentioned from Northouse. According to Daimler (2020), leaders need to connect with empathy, be emotionally agile, and manage with context.

Traditionally leaders have been taught to communicate, show emotional intelligence, and manage time (Daimler, 2020). However, Daimler (2020) shows that to lead in today’s climate, there must development beyond conventional skills to these more imminent skills:

show that you not only care for the employee but the person as well (connect with empathy)

steer through emotions once you have learned to be aware of them (be emotionally agile)

manage how you work depending on the situation as well as your time (manage with context)

The last year and a half has been extremely taxing, and many workers have experienced burnout. The work may not be the cause of burnout; it is a possibility that the way we are working is (Daimler, 2020). There is a necessity to look at leadership through a different lens and make the necessary changes to help subordinates and ourselves during this trying times.

Reference

Daimler, M. (2020, November 26). Three leadership skill shifts for 2021 and beyond. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/melissadaimler/2020/11/24/the-three-leadership-skill-shifts-we-learned-in-2020/?sh=60efbbdd6158

Utilizing Dynamic Skills

Student 3 reply,

nice work. You mentioned developing employees to use their skills properly in a leadership setting. While searching for information on that topic, I found that employers could be training employees on skills that they are unlikely to ever use. According to Baker (2020), the skills of employees should progress as business evolves. Too much effort is being exhausted on teaching irrelevant skills.

Not only must skills be applicable, they must be developed quickly and effectively for organizations to remain relevant and agile (Baker, 2020). The ability to achieve these goals is reliant upon an organization’s ability to foresee the essential skills of the future (Baker, 2020). Baker (2020) speaks of using a dynamic skills approach which entails concentrating on personnel, processes, and tactics. The dynamic skills approach leads to a 24% advancement on performance and 34% upgrade on the effort of employees by utilizing the following central themes Baker (2020):

• Adapt to shifts in skill requirements by anticipating changes rather than making predictions.

• Fast-track developing skills by leveraging prevailing resources rather than relying on classes.

• Allow employees to facilitate their own skills development by holding two-way communication.

Reference

Baker, M. (2020, September 24). Stop training employees in skills they’ll never use. Gartner. https://www.gartner.com/smarterwithgartner/stop-training-employees-in-skills-theyll-never-use