Intelligent Leadership

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Intelligent Leadership

• Cutting the cost of workplace stress

Michael Collins Managing Director
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The statistics

• Stress-related injuries comprised only 6 per
  cent of claims yet accounted for 21 per cent of
  the cost of meeting those claims.
• (Comcare, 2004)

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Are you ready?

• Your involvement please
• Elect a spokesperson for your table
• As a group discuss your response to the following
  

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The feedback session

• Your boss has asked to see you in 5 minutes to
  give you some feedback
• You have had no prior warning
• Questions for discussion
• Describe your initial feelings
• Describe your likely actions in those 5 minutes
• Describe your various thoughts

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Why is it so?

• Same event feedback session with your boss
• Different feelings
• Different actions
• Different thoughts
• Men are disturbed not by things, but by the
  views they take of them.
• (Epictetus, 100 AD)

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We often believe

• event thoughts feelings actions

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But you have just shown

• event thoughts feelings actions

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The facts

• Our thoughts are responsible for our feelings
• Our feelings drive our actions
• Questions for discussion
• What leadership behaviours make work stressful?
• What typical emotions accompany these?

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Intelligent leaders know how to

• Reduce strong emotions, and therefore
• use more appropriate behaviours
• that have the right impact on others

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The solution

• Understanding our own emotions
• Understanding the emotions of others
• Managing these emotions, by
• Challenging our thoughts, and
• Reframing them to get a balanced perspective

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How can they learn this?

• Insight
• Motivation
• Planning
• Activity
• Consolidation
• Tracking

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Case study

• Background
• Manager at a local council
• Claims of bullying, harassment and intimidation
  against her
• She was stressed, angry and losing confidence in
  her ability as a manager
• Her team was de-motivated and performing poorly

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Case study

• Solution
• Five one-hour coaching sessions
• Focus on understanding and managing her emotions
• Some unhelpful thoughts
• People try to take advantage of my good nature
• I must always have the answers

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Case study

• Outcome
• She now feels more confident and in-control of
  the situation
• No longer takes things personally
• Is less easy to anger
• Her manager reported a change in attitude and
  better relationship skills

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What are the benefits?

• Research shows EI is related to
• Effective leadership (transformational)
• Increased innovation and creativity
• Effective teamwork
• High levels of client service
• Greater organisational commitment
• Reduced absenteeism
• Decreased workplace stress
• Increased job satisfaction
• (Source Swinburne University)

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Questions?
Michael Collins Managing Director