SAJN |THE PERFORMANCE CATALYST
Keeping it together: emotions and processes Nigel Smith, a results catalyst, aims to help people and businesses achieve goals by equipping them to innovate, relate, sell, coach and lead.
the situation. No doubt we have all
deadly pandemics like the current
experienced disruptors and “tipping-
one and all the other shocks (natural
point changes”, as author Malcolm
or otherwise) that flesh is heir to.
Gladwell puts it, at one time or an-
I had a chat recently with a fam-
other in our lives. Yet it is crucial –
ily member who observed that
especially now – to control our emo-
when people panic, they seem to
tional responses and keep following
completely abandon any regard for
the processes which enable business
WE
standard business processes. Have
to continue.
have a problem.”
you noticed anything similar these
Sounds good, but how do you
It’s
world-re-
recent months in your own business?
manage 1 400 emotional responses
quote,
I believe it is caused by the old tru-
so that they work for you?
from
ism: “Emotion hijacks logic.” Specifi-
When we are faced with danger,
Jack Swigert, one
cally, it is unexpected, unmanaged
our managed response – accord-
of the astronauts on Apollo 13. He
and unprocessed emotion which
ing to Leaf – should be to embrace
informed the NASA Mission Con-
translates logic into panic, a state
it (acknowledge it), articulate it and
trol Centre that their spacecraft had
of incoherent fear which completely
constructively process it by thinking
been crippled by an explosion just
overrides rational thinking, appropri-
through the options we have (and
three days into their mission to land
ate behaviour and control.
their consequences), choosing the
“HOUSTON, a
nowned originating
54
disasters at sea, celebrity divorces,
on the moon. Those words (which
According to cognitive neuro-
best one and then moving forward.
were actually “OK, Houston, we’ve
scientist Dr Caroline Leaf, there are
This way, we get our responses to
had a problem here”) were uttered
about 1 400 neurophysiological
help us. Even though we may still
50 years ago – in April 1970 – but
responses which occur in the hu-
feel panicky, we begin to experience
became a by-word after the movie
man body as a result of unexpected
a growing sense of control and, with
of the ill-fated mission was released
news. These responses are designed
it, a return of order as our immune
21 years ago. Today it has come to
to help us, provided we manage and
systems work for us. This was what
mean any event which has gone cat-
direct them. If the news is perceived
played out during the Apollo 13 crisis.
astrophically wrong, from personal
negatively and we fail to manage our
The astronauts (who, let us not for-
mishaps to organisational blunders,
responses, they end up causing us
get, are always selected for missions
scandals, massive business collapses,
to panic and significantly aggravate
not only because of their physical fit-
SA JEWELLERY NEWS – AUGUST 2020
