In my previous 2 posts, I wrote about how to help you and your team become more effective by managing emotions and beliefs. These are two of the 3 elements in the emotions, beliefs, actions cycle.
This week, I’m addressing the component of actions. As mentioned in the previous two posts, we need to manage our response to stress by managing our emotions, beliefs, and actions. They are all interconnected and build on each other forming a spiral of experiences.
You can control whether this is a spiral down or a spiral up by addressing emotions, beliefs, and actions.
Recognize actions:
Just as the first step in managing your emotions and beliefs was to recognize and identify them, the first step in addressing your actions is to recognize and evaluate them. You need to be aware of everything you are doing. This is harder than it seems as many of our actions are inadvertent or unintentional. Are you aware of everything you are communicating to your team and other stakeholders through non-verbal communication for example? Are you aware of the unintended outcomes of comments or actions following team meetings?
How can you help your team learn to be more aware of their non-verbal communication to customers, team members, and other stakeholders? Even in the world of virtual meetings, tone of voice, eye movement, body position are all actions that have an impact on how the message is communicated.
As you have probably guessed, these unintended actions arise from your emotions and beliefs. If you are confident and grounded when communicating to others, it will be easier to build awareness of all the actions you are undertaking.
Examine results:
With the increased awareness that some of your actions are unintentional or inadvertent, are they consistent with the message you want to deliver? Are your actions consistent and in alignment with each other or are they conflicting? Do they support or detract from your goals? Are you providing all the required resources to set your team up for success or are there resources missing?
Again with emotions and beliefs in alignment with the goals and objectives, your actions will be consistent and support each other. There will be less ambiguity and conflict in your communications.
Assess effects:
With a greater awareness of all the various actions you are doing, and looking at the impact of these actions, it is easier to see what is actually moving you towards the desired end result.
As we discussed last week, people put more effort into areas they believe will be successful and less into areas they are not convinced are possible. This is also influenced by the emotions generated by our past actions and the results they achieved. This forms the basis of our beliefs. And the cycle continues.
By making changes in just one of these elements in the cycle, it will change the other elements. By doing something differently the result will change which will result in a different emotion and change our belief. Similarly changing our belief will change our actions, providing a different result and generating a new emotion.
It is all within our control. You can support your team members to understand how making changes in one of the elements (emotion, beliefs, or actions) they can also change the outcome. Providing a different course of actions will change the results of the team and impact the group’s emotions and beliefs.
Do more of what works well:
You and your team now have the tools to move forward to achieve your goals and objectives. Keep doing what is working well and keeping you effective and efficient. When you notice something not working or no longer working well, use this awareness to examine it and then change or modify it.
It sounds simple and it is once the awareness piece is in place. This requires you to pause and breathe and step back. It cannot be done when we are dealing with high stress and anxiety. It can only be done when we engage our rational thought processes and are patient with ourselves and our team.
Increased effectiveness:
This will place you and your team in the best possible situation to succeed now and as we reopen and return to our places of employment.
We can provide you and your team with assistance in any of these areas and especially with the area of awareness of emotions, beliefs, and actions where most people struggle initially. It is impossible to change what you don’t know about.
If you would like to discuss any of this or related topics in more detail, please contact me to book your complimentary, confidential discussions session at [email protected]
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