Finding your edge

Abstract

"I was made to throw all the emotions that had been expressed to the back of my mind or even forget them and not use them. Now as I am reflecting, I understand that once emotions are out, those emotions are there, they reflect what my staff and I are feeling‑that is what we brought with us. What I need to do is that in a less emotionally charged moment, I must decide and I need to use those emotions and not put them aside or ignore them any longer." These are the words that a participant in my research shared with me as I interviewed her about the place that emotions are given in her role as a manager (Kenely, 2008, p.254). These words have stayed with me as I continued to research, teach, and coach people on emotional intelligence and the role that emotions have in the workplace. Working with people means working with emotions. We have often heard the argument...