How Do You Feel About That?

White abstract waves

We crap on psychologists for asking this question, almost to the exclusion of all else. But why do you think they do this…really? And why do we often deflect the question by turning it around to make it about a so-called deficiency in the profession? That is always an elephant in the room. And as a matter of fact, it’s related to all elephants in the room. How do you feel about that? ;-)

Deflecting is almost like breathing in the organizational wild™. It is part of the culture and certainly characterizes the climate in many an organization, no matter what size or industry. Why? They are made up of people of course! But why do we tend to deflect questions that put our emotional perspective on the stand? Answer this and you’ve unlocked one of the secrets to the human side of change! So here it is…fear. Duh. But hang on, there is much more to it. This is not a fear we have access to understanding. No; this kind is shoved too far down to know.

The ramming rod we use to stuff this fear down deep is the “business of business”. (As if business and how people feel have nothing in common! Oy.) But truly, everything about business directly correlates with how people feel (and not just marketing focus groups). How you execute every aspect of your work, every individual and group interaction, is based on how you feel. You can pretend you are “compartmentalizing” your feelings and press on with “professionalism”, but your feelings are still there, leaching out into the organization, whether they are positive or negative. It’s emotional physics. The quickest and simplest way to jump into your transformation adventure is to recognize this reality and embrace the information and insight it has to offer. Embrace it and new opportunities will abound.