What’s Your Emotional Footprint?
Every interaction is an opportunity to engage, empower, and inspire or distance, disempower and disenfranchise those around you.
Ecologist talk about our need for greater awareness with regard to our carbon footprint. However, we must also pay attention to our Emotional Footprint.
In physics there is a principle that states: “Every contact leaves a trace,” consider that to also be true for you as a leader dealing with your team, and your customers.
I put it to you that as much as we must recognize leadership is about experience, specific knowledge and certain skills sets, we often forget that leadership is at its roots is about leading people! Therefore Leadership is by it’s very nature is all about relationship and relationship skills.
In today’s workplace, particularly when dealing with Millennials, a leader is faced with the challenge of an ever faster migrating talent pool. What this means for you as a leader is that every interaction you have with your team or anyone in your organization, is having impact. Further more each and everyone of those interactions is either building or eroding loyalty. To be clear; it doesn’t matter whether that interaction is direct or indirect; verbal, written, or even through non-verbal mannerisms, every interaction make an impression, leaving your emotional footprint.
Therefore as Authentic (Full Monty) leaders we must have the emotional intelligence to understand that every interaction sits on the fulcrum between two possibilities. On one side the leader is nurturing any given relationship, thus eliminating the obstructions to progress, reinforcing trust and loyalty or, creating obstacles and eating away at whatever trust has been established.
The fact is: You and I are leaving an emotional footprint. The question is; will it be one that eats away at the ecology of our corporate culture or one the nurtures that culture and allows everyone in it to grow and flourish?
My suggestion: Be intentional about making every interaction one that fertilizes the ground with emotional safety, because emotional safety gives birth to fierce loyalty and it’s where innovation grows.
Click here for my latest for Entrepreneur.com.
Want to retain your top talent? Then my “Fiercely Loyal” book is for you! Plus get your free: “How to instantly bond any team” infographic.
Dov Baron is first and foremost “The Dragonist”. As The Dragonist, he teaches us how to recognize, find, retain and nurture dragons (top talent) hidden within our organizations.
Want to learn more about what Dov has to offer, and how you too can become a Dragonist in your realm? If you and your leadership team are dedicated to getting the result you set out to achieve in the most meaningful manner, bring Dov in to speak to your organization about the strategic advantages of Dragon Leadership. Go here to get started.
With gratitude,
Dov…
Copyright: Dov Baron International 2020
