That poker face may be hurting your hand

Research trashes conventional wisdom that leaders should never let on about how they feel

Tony Chapman used to chafe at working for poker-faced bosses who never revealed their emotions.

"They had dull eyes and operated almost in a robotic fashion, following a methodical business plan," he recalls.

"But what ended up happening was that you had an organizational culture with zero passion, ruled by fear that there was a gun to your head until you made the numbers."

And so, in the two years he's been chief executive officer of Toronto ad agency Capital C, he's never held back on how he feels.

"I'm a very passionate and emotional and excited person, and I show it," he says.

And that, Mr. Chapman believes, encourages his employees to work together like a family, collaborating and being more creative.

"They feel my passion and want to be a part of it. You shouldn't hold back and repress your emotions," he says.

A new study suggests he's onto a productive approach.

The research trashes the conventional wisdom that leaders should never let you see them sweat. Forget cool, calm and collected.

"We found that people who displayed intense emotions performed better than those who tried to keep their cool," says study leader Myeong-Gu Seo, a professor of management at the University of Maryland's business school.

"Traditionally, in business schools, emotionality has been portrayed as the opposite of rationality and effectiveness in a management setting," he says.

But "what we found is those who are aware of their emotional state and are comfortable with their feelings were best able to regulate emotional influences in decision making and, as a result, achieved higher investment returns, Prof. Seo said in an interview.

The study by Prof. Seo and Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor of psychology at Boston College, and reported in the current Academy of Management Journal, monitored 101 stock investors in a simulated exercise spanning four weeks.

On each of 20 consecutive business days, participants traded in a simulated portfolio and were kept abreast of their performance to date.

At the same time, they were asked to rate their current emotional state according to 22 different feelings.

The result? The investor who performed the worst over all consistently described his feelings as neutral, Prof. Seo says. "In essence, this individual was victimized by his lack of emotions."

By contrast, the best performer consistently reported relatively intense feelings, and had an above-average ability to describe them, Prof. Seo says.

Though the study was about investors, the implications apply to those in management, as well, he says.

The researchers theorize that because emotions create more activity in the brain, they get people thinking faster, more focused and more creatively. And the more aware they are of their current emotional state, the less likely they are to make risky or ill-advised decisions, he says.

As well, putting on a poker face is counterproductive, the researchers found. "When people actively engage in suppressing their emotions, it takes away from their cognitive ability and they can't focus as well on the task," Prof. Seo notes.

It is good evidence that it pays off for leaders to "know thyself," says Peggy McColl, president of Dynamic Destines Inc. in Ottawa and author of the new book, Your Destiny Switch, Master your Key Emotions and Attract the Life of your Dreams.

"We are emotional beings and we experience emotions at different levels at different times. It is important to become aware of how you are feeling because that helps you develop strategies to channel those emotions in more positive ways," Ms. McColl says.

Emotions are like a panel of dimmer switches that you can consciously shift in a range from very positive to very negative, Ms. McColl says. "And we have total control over them. Too often people shift the control to others by saying there is nothing I can do; he or she made me feel this way."

In fact, you need to be responsible for changing your own emotional state, she says.

"For instance, in management, frustration or anger often come from a feeling of being overwhelmed. But if you decide there is something you are going to get done, you can look at your agenda and find things that are not priorities that can be shifted so you can accomplish your goal" - and change your mood, Ms. McColl says.

"Emotions are all interconnected. [When] things begin to brighten, you will find yourself open to considering more options and viewpoints."

Those who have been taught to repress their emotions will end up expending so much mental energy on fighting them that they will not make well-reasoned decisions, she says. "And by not dealing with your emotions, you are destined to repeat the cycle because we are habitual beings," Ms. McColl adds.

Mr. Chapman is a buyer of the importance of feeling and expressing emotions.

"Emotion helps you move quickly. If you want to sit and wait for all the impartial analysis, you're going to be too late to take advantage of opportunities," Mr. Chapman says.

"The leadership of the future is about being able to play a speed game and being very intuitive about decision making," Mr. Chapman adds.

Getting in the mood

Slow your breathing Taking slower, deeper breaths counteracts the tenseness that comes with negative emotions.

Get away Just walking into another room will shift your point of view and help you discard negative feelings.

Mini-meditate No need for a mantra or total quiet, just close your eyes and think of clouds, a flower or waves on the shore.

Laugh Cracking a joke and cracking up will release stress-busting hormones and make others around you laugh as well.

Recall a memory Try to remember a time in your life when you were feeling particularly positive. Tell yourself you want to feel that way again now.

Change your vocabulary Your mood is mainly self-described, so use positive terms.

Get moving Exercise can help you let go of negativity by reducing stress and shifting your thinking away from a problem.

Snap out of it Some people find that wearing a rubber band around their wrist and snapping it when they are upset can cue their brain to look at a brighter side.

Create a verbal cue A simple phrase such as telling yourself "time out" is another way to create a mental snap.

Source: Peggy McColl, author of Your Destiny Switch: Master Your Key Emotions and Attract the Life of Your Dreams:

News Added: 22 September, 2007

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