Strengthen Your Emotional Agility
The Case for Agility in Organizations
Organizations today face the challenge of complexity driven by technology and globalization, necessitating agility and adaptability, which can be cultivated in employees through training to enhance mental flexibility and decision-making amidst uncertainty and stress.
Three Ways to Become a More Agile Leader
Leadership begins with self-management, as relying on intuitive "System 1" thinking can hinder agility and lead to misinterpretations; instead, leaders should acknowledge their emotions and make conscious choices to foster a more effective team dynamic.
Three Warning Signs of Being Hooked
Agility of thought and action requires independence of mind, allowing for wise decision-making free from predetermined narratives, with Susan David identifying signs of reactivity, such as being "hooked," losing perspective, lacking agency, and adopting a retaliatory mindset.
A 4-Step Process for Getting Unhooked
In her video lesson, Susan David outlines a four-step process to regain control over your life by recognizing and managing your emotions and thoughts, aligning decisions with your values, and pursuing goals driven by internal motivations rather than external pressures.
Affirming Your Values
In this video lesson, Susan David emphasizes that understanding and affirming your values is crucial for guiding your path to success and well-being, helping you resist negative biases and impulses while fostering resilience and happiness.
Walking with Your Fear
Throughout our evolutionary history, the instinct to overreact to novelty as a potential threat has shaped our responses, leading individuals, especially those with low self-esteem, to cling to familiar unhappiness rather than embrace the discomfort of new opportunities, as discussed by Susan David in her video lesson.
Dealing with Difficult Emotions
In her video lesson, Susan David discusses how "bottling" and "brooding" hinder emotional processing and cognitive performance, offering strategies to acknowledge and label emotions compassionately to improve well-being and relationships.
Common Happiness Myths Debunked
Susan David highlights that while the desire for happiness is universal, common Western beliefs like "happiness is a choice" and "think positive" can create unrealistic expectations, leading to guilt and disconnection from our emotions; instead, she advocates for embracing difficult experiences and focusing on intrinsic values.
Complexity. This one word sums up the core challenge every organization faces today. To overcome it, people need training to cultivate equanimity, flexibility, and clear thinking. According to Harvard psychologist Susan David, this kind of training, more than any other, will unlock you and your team’s true potential.
Learning Objectives
- Recognize the value emotional agility plays in the workplace.
- Spot reactive tendencies and unhook yourself from them.
- Reaffirm your values to promote career success.
- Deal with fear and other difficult emotions.
- Debunk common happiness myths and misconceptions.