Some people would rather drop the “f” bomb at work than talk about the other “f” word – feelings.  That’s right – feelings have a place at work.  How can they not?

We are after all human beings with all our complexities including our emotional state at an any given moment.  It’s not like an employee can remove their emotions and stuff them in a bag while he or she is at work.  Feelings come through the door with the rest of the person.

As a leader are you able to recognize, acknowledge and talk with your employees about their feelings?  Can you see when they are excited or happy?  Do you recognize when they are frustrated, angry or disappointed?   How a person feels based things happening at work and at home will definitely impact their ability to do their job.  A “whole” person arrives at work bringing all that is happening outside of work with them.

Maybe you’ve noticed an employee is distracted, but rather than assuming they are lazy or incompetent you have a conversation about what you’ve observed and inquire with an open mind.  You may learn he has a child graduating from high school (joy, anxiety) or a family member who has received a terminal prognosis (fear, grief).  When you open the door for them to share what’s going on and how they are feeling, you help uncover ways in which you can truly support them as their leader.

Here’s the thing, when a leader creates a safe environment in which people can experience and express their feelings, they create a place where people can grow, engage and be honest.  When we feel cared for, we experience higher levels of engagement and are more productive in our lives.

Introducing mindfulness practices into the workplace is a way in which we can help people be more aware and tune in to how they are feeling in a given moment.  Mindfulness increases our capacity to see, feel, hear and reflect on what is in front of us and what is inside of us and allows us to make a more intentional choice about how we will act in that moment. When we are more mindful we can live a healthier, more productive and peaceful life with less stress and more joy.  

So go ahead and use the “f” word at work.  When you do, we’d love to hear how it went in the comments.