Take your emotions to work, but with subtlety

This post came out from My Paper (13 October 2015)
Title - Take your emotions to work, but with subtlety

Some pointers that I've got are:
1. Happiness
2. Anger
3. Disappointment
4. Passion

On Happiness

• By showing up to work in a great mood, I give my colleagues the chance to broach topics with me in a more comfortable space; and even though I still cringe on the inside, I make it a point to smile and say "sure".
• Nobody's in a great mood all the time, so being happy to the point of being idealistic may give people a pause to consider how genuine you really are. Being yourself is important - authenticity is of vital importance as a leader.

On Anger

• Expressing anger will have a powerful effect on the people around you, especially if they look up to you. The entire world around you will fluctuate as a result, and so it's key to show anger only when the level of honesty will achieve something. 
• Note that there is an important difference between getting angry and losing your temper. Anger and the expression of it can be healthy, but it's a potent tool. 
• The question is whether showing this person your reaction will help them to understand the gravity of the situation and spur them to greater heights, or simply make them scared of you. 
• Losing your temper, on the other hand, shows a lack of control and you will lose the respect of  people around you immediately. 
• Expressing anger is the emotional equivalent of dropping a large rock in a pond. You can drop only the rock, but the waves created by that action is entirely out of your control. 

On Disappointment

• Disappointment sticks with you. When someone respects his boss, an expression of disappointment is going to have a huge impact. 
• The relationship between managers and staff is deep. Everything from promotions to pay rise to opportunities for growth stem from bosses' feedback about their employees. That means when expectations aren't met, staff will take it very seriously. 
• As a manager, if you are going to let someone see that you're disappointed in them, you'd better be more than sure that you've set them up for success. Very often, managers set their workers up to failure by providing inadequate support or clarity on what's required. 

On Passion

• Passion is infectious. When you work for someone ho's passionate about what they do, you often feel connect to something bigger than yourself. Passion gives you a sense of purpose in your work that no amount of goal-setting and mid-year performance reviews will ever achieve. 
• Showing passion for what you do helps you cross that line between management and leadership. When you really believe in what you're doing, you have a certain inner buzz, energy and enthusiasm, which others will find infectious. 
• When you can communicate your passion to others, they will follow where you lead. As with all things, it's important not to be a constant bubbling pot of emotions, otherwise people will get passion fatigue. 

Yours,
Something Small Thinking Big