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Trait of the Month (May 09): Emotional Consistency
Context
Today's workplace is often unpredictable and demanding. How one responds to unexpected changes in the workplace is often a product of their emotional consistency. The ability to maintain a level-headed and even-tempered outlook when priorities or directions change is critical to your success and to the ability to create and maintain a positive work environment. Handling stress and recovering quickly from frustration allows you to stay focused on objectives and also helps you preserve and protect the important working relationships that support both your achievements as well as vital business priorities.
In the current "do more with less" work environment, employees and managers are expected to work extra hard and have more demanded of them than ever before. How one responds to these extra demands is another sign of emotional consistency. In other words, it's the times when we are stretched to our limits that the ability to maintain composure enables us to be effective and productive on the job. Whether it's providing great service to guests, working on a manufacturing floor, or managing a retail operation, it's the times when we are at our busiest that can bring out the best or worst of us.
Understanding the Trait
This trait measures an individual's consistency of mood, tolerance for frustration, and maintenance of composure under pressure. People with "high" ratings are even-tempered, do not have dramatic mood swings and are cool under pressure. They recover fairly quickly from obstacles and do not allow themselves to become easily frustrated. Individuals with "low" ratings in this area are easily irritated, frustrated, and annoyed. As a result, busy times and situations in the workplace that are stressful will negatively impact their performance. They tend to be moody, pessimistic, and slow to recover from disappointment.
Tips for Personal Development
Think through issues and concerns to make sure you are not blowing things out of proportion. Ask a level-headed person you trust to give you a "reality check" to help you put things in their appropriate place. If you find you are over-reacting, find an outlet for your emotions to get them back in balance.
Assess frustrating situations and conflicts carefully. If the situation is something you can fix, change, or negotiate as a team, brainstorm positive and mutually affirming solutions. If the problem is something you can do nothing about, let go of the emotion and accept the situation realistically. Focus your energy around positive and forward-moving activities you can influence, and solutions you can implement.
Identify opportunities to participate actively in those things about which you are passionate. Becoming active and involved in something enjoyable can often counteract undesirable moods.
