Clarity simplifies the next step.
A conversation is often difficult because of our triggers or emotional responses. Our gut emotional reactions can either clarify or muddy the waters.
When we heave an emotional reaction we can feel it many parts of our body:
our respiratory system - we start to breath quickly or we may hold our breath.
Our cardiovascular system - our heart begins to pound or race.
Our nervous system - we get sweaty palms, or we clench our fists, we raised our shoulders, we clench our teeth.
Our digestive system - we get a stomach ache, or indigestion, or our stomach muscles tighten.
Our vascular system - we start to turn red at a the base of our neck and up into our face.
When we recognize the systems that our emotions trigger for us, they become a great clue to how heightened our responses are. It means it is time to step back, take a breath, drop those e shoulders and find a place of calm. Even if our gut reaction brings clarity, it is best to take a look at that clarity in light of the bigger picture. In a crisis situation our gut gives us the ability to respond in a way that can lead us to safety.
In leadership our best approach is to ready, aim, fire. There are times when we may fire before we have taken time to aim or prepare, if those times go wrong, it is then the time to swallow our pride, admit our mistake or even admit that a we might possibly be wrong and move to correct our inappropriate action.
Driving to clarity means we learn to ask curious, non judgemental questions to figure out what information we still need and then to assess what our best course of action will be.
Take the time to understand the correlation between your emotions and your body systems, that is called self-awareness. Make it work for you.
For more information check out RuthEsau.com or contact me at ruth@inspiredtolead.ca.