Emotions at work. Going mainstream?

Stéphanie Mitrano -

Since my TEDx talk in 2014 entitled “emotions at work,” I’ve been watching for signs of increasing levels of acceptance of emotions in the workplace. Emotions are a well-covered subject in sciences, and business sciences, by researchers and PhDs, but that doesn’t mean this is mainstream. After all, ages ago, Dan Pink was sharing about the disconnect between what science knew about motivation and engagement and what business practices were doing (still ignoring what science had known for decades).

So imagine my delight when I came across this video from a few months ago on the subject of emotions at work delivered by Liz Fosslien, following pretty much step-by-step the critical ideas of my six year-old TEDx talk:

I really like the simplicity and the graphics of her presentation, which really add to making it accessible to everyone.

If you need a refresher on my TEDx, s

And here are my key points (which still stand):

  • We live in two worlds, personal and professional, with the misconception that we have to leave our emotions in a locker outside the office door;
  • We wear a professional mask at the office and fear to show any vulnerability or expression of emotions;
  • We are humans at work, and sharing emotions is beneficial for driving change, solving conflicts, and communicating;
  • Self-awareness and empathy are key;
  • We “don’t kill the emotional dragon but tame it” by channeling our emotions rather than letting them run crazy;
  • “Emotions Augmented Managers” can lead the way in showing the use of emotions at work;
  • Final advice: start small by simply sharing authentically about your weekend, your worry about a project, or asking for help.

So what do I take away from this surprising similitude between these two talks?

First and foremost, there’s a clear upside to seeing more talks on the matter. The science about emotions is becoming more mainstream, while companies are still in such a dire need to get on grip on this — and obviously,  Covid-19 is not helping.

Second, you might think there’s justifiable frustration at seeing this copy-and-paste content out there. Undeniably, but hey… when dealing with insights, ideas, and vision, content is here to be recycled on and on.

Nothing goes to waste; that’s OK. And as far as content recycling goes, now is probably a good time to check Austin Kleon’s insights on creativity.

I specifically love chapter 8. titled “Be nice. (The world is a small town.).” 😊

In any case, if you want an edge on the hot topics of emotions at work before it gets recycled further — or if you want to make your mash-up 🥰 — here’s a direct link to all the content from those past few years.