Beach Balls and Burnout: Why Leaders Need Emotional Skills with Dina Smith
The workplace has fundamentally transformed, dramatically increasing the emotional demands on leaders at all levels. From managing virtual teams to navigating workforce polarization, today's leaders face unprecedented challenges that require a new set of emotional skills to thrive.
Executive coach and leadership strategist Dina Denham-Smith joins Bob Goodwin to discuss her new book, "Emotionally Charged: How to Lead in the New World of Work," revealing how emotions serve as critical data for effective leadership. Drawing from over 25 years of experience coaching senior executives at companies like Adobe, Netflix, and Goldman Sachs, Dina breaks down the misconceptions that prevent leaders from harnessing the power of emotions in the workplace.
Dina and Bob explore the powerful "beach ball" analogy that illustrates what happens when emotions are suppressed rather than processed appropriately. Dina explains how leaders navigate the "authenticity paradox" – being genuine enough to build trust while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries. She provides practical steps for developing emotional intelligence, from recognizing physical sensations that signal emotional responses to identifying specific emotions beyond simplistic categories.
The conversation tackles the current leadership landscape, including how some high-profile CEOs are taking harder stances toward employees in today's tighter labor market. Dina offers compelling counterarguments, explaining why emotionally intelligent leadership remains crucial for long-term performance and engagement. We also discuss the opportunity AI presents to focus more deeply on the human aspects of leadership that technology cannot replicate.
Whether you're struggling with burnout, managing team conflicts, or simply looking to enhance your leadership effectiveness, this episode offers science-backed insights and practical strategies to develop the emotional skills essential for today's complex workplace challenges.
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