Leadership Insights – Part Three

Have you ever noticed how the energy of some people can elevate you and make you feel good while some others can drag you down?

Have you had instances where you have seen how your internal energy has worked for you or against you? Have you experienced infectious positive energy from someone that has helped you perform better? Have you had to work with someone so negative that their presence alone can impact your peace and performance?

The next few words that I am writing about as part of this series are in the context of inert and intra-personal realms of our lives… 

Energy, empathy and emotions

This entire sphere is directly related to communications and how you interact. I have been asked very often where I get my energy from and how do I manage to do all the things I do, the answer is simple, because I love what I do, I am passionate about the projects I take up and I like to be involved and invested. Your energy at work is directly proportional to your relationship with your work. If you don’t love what you do, find ways to make it more likeable and interesting. Good energy usually attracts good energy or at least negates the negative… 

Empathy is what this corporate world needs but unfortunately it is scarce and is also hard to build. Empathy can truly help form connections, repair strained relationships, make teams stronger and in my personal experience, it has helped me help people around me in some form. Being empathetic of people and knowing that its usually the situation that is the problem and not the person involved can go a long way with people management. 

I was told a long time ago that I react too quickly, that I am emotional about my work and I was asked to respond, not react. This helped me learn to calm down and cool off and work better with my emotions. Also, in today’s world, you need a lot more EQ – emotional quotient than IQ. Invest in building a strong emotional quotient and it will help navigate the nuances of what is in store, both in life and in careers. 

Center your energy, elevate your empathy and manage and leverage your emotions to be a better leader. 

These three E’s are what you need to evolve and grow as a leader. 

Conflict and change 

Imagine a life without conflict… Well, I find it hard to do so. If you share space and time with people, there’s bound to be conflict. We all have diverse backgrounds, different opinions, ideals and we all co-exist with people who are different from us. Even within the same family, you will see conflict and so is the case with workplaces. We often spend a lot more time at our workplace than we do at home and when you have tasks to do, KRA’s to chase, deadlines to meet and people to manage, conflict is bound to happen and we often tend to get overwhelmed.  The key with dealing with conflict is to look at it objectively and not let your relationship with the person in question, cloud your judgment. Conflict resolution is a deep dive learning process and I will share my thoughts in my subsequent columns. 

The only permanent thing in life is change… A popular quote, but one that puts life into perspective aptly and swiftly. If you cannot deal with change and change with the times, life can become complex and difficult to navigate. Things change, people change, circumstances change, and this reality doesn’t change. The sooner we can adapt to change and manage it and help manage it around us in our workplaces, the better it works for us. Change can be for the good or for the worse, but the thing is, that will change too. We all have good days and bad, but if we can learn to manage the bad days, it will help manage ourselves in the long stints we will have both in life and in our careers. 

Change management is a key aspect of leadership and can help the overall approach to life and to the role if used well. 

In my career, I have dealt with all kinds of change, some which I have run the course and emerged victorious at the end of and some where I have quit midway and given up because it was not in me to deal with that kind of shift at that point in time. 

So, let’s collectively use our wits and reorient ourselves in the right direction and I hope these little thought nuggets from my life and learnings help you on your personal and professional journeys… 

Shreya Krishnan

Vice President - Marketing and Communications at Aon India Insurance Brokers

Shreya is a CSR Specialist and Corporate Grooming Consultant. Her interests lie in Activism, Dance, Theatre, Poetry, Blogging, Modelling, Acting. She considers herself an Earth Warrior and is an Event Anchor and Trainer. She is a Pageant Winner and public speaker.