How are you today?

We’re often asked how we are. Generally, people don’t really want to know the answer – it’s just another form of greeting. They just expect us to say ‘Fine’, and not go into details about the sore throat we’ve got, or the problems with our teenage children/mother-in-law/cat etc.

There’s a time for answering in detail and a time for replying ‘Fine’, even when we are feeling lousy or feel swamped by domestic trials. But our response is all to do with emotion management, and knowing how and when to respond appropriately.

In fact, a great deal of leadership is really about emotion management. From the E-Myth perspective, the business is a reflection of its leaders, and it is very important that the leaders are aware of this.

A 2002 study published in Management Communication Quarterly (quoted on e-myth.com) surveyed a broad range of employees and reported that many of them did not want their fellow workers to display any type of strong emotion at all. In other words, the only way to handle emotions is to mask them. You might be surprised to learn another conclusion of the survey, which is that even positive emotions should be shown only in moderation.

That said, there’s definitely a case for striking a balance between being outright cold and showing no emotion whatsoever – the ultra-professional – and being so emotional and flamboyant that others are cowed into submission or have to take evasive action.

How to strike the happy medium? According to the E-Myth business coach, developing an awareness within yourself and in your environment is often the first step.

If you have any thoughts on this, I’d be interested to hear them (if I’m in the mood!). Email me.