Lead Into the Future Today (LIFT) is brought to you by Louise Mowbray of Mowbray by Design, the creative Conscious Leadership Consultancy. If you’re reading this and haven’t yet subscribed, you can do so here:
This two-part podcast from Brené Brown, in conversation with Dr Susan David is really worth listening to! They explore how emotional granularity and agility benefit us as leaders (part 1) and how to build emotionally agile teams, lead from a place of awareness and the power of the choice we can all find in “the space between stimulus and response” (part 2). I trust you enjoy these as much as I did!
🎧 The Dangers of Toxic Positivity (Part 1)
🎧 The Dangers of Toxic Positivity (Part 2)
Dr Susan David’s Story
When celebrated South African Psychologist, Dr Susan David was fifteen, her father died of cancer and she didn’t skip a beat. She was her usual positive self, masking her shock and heartbreak until her English teacher handed her a blank notebook and told her to “write what you’re feeling, tell the truth and write like no one is reading”. This simple act of someone really ‘seeing’ her and bearing witness to her pain shaped her life and her extraordinary career.
How we deal with our emotions shapes everything that matters: who we are as leaders, our actions and behaviours, our careers and the corporate cultures we foster, our relationships, health and happiness.
And yet, culturally, we prize positivity over emotional truth, which robs us of the ability to be emotionally agile.
Agile Thinking
If last year was all about being resilient, we’re now being asked to step up and step into being courageous, emotionally agile leaders, which may sound like a tall order!
Dr David’s work offers us a deeply insightful, powerful lens into the psychological skills we all need to thrive in times of complexity and change.
🎬 Watch her moving, humorous TED talk: The Gift and Power of Emotional Courage
📚 Read her bestselling book: Emotional Agility (available at good book stores everywhere)
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Until next time, feel free to get in touch and take good care of yourself.
Best, Louise