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 Dear Reader,
Do you let your emotions be your guide? Should we allow our emotions to guide us?
It's this festive season of the year and where I come from (Southern Germany, near Austria and Switzerland) this season is considered a time for reflection over the past year and the year to come. It's a time where many people there seek some inner peace to be able to think more clearly.
Even though I live now in the Far East of Asia, the time between Christmas and the Western New Year gives me also some time to reflect as business tends to be considerably more quiet than at other times in the year. I usually use this time to re-orient myself, make sure I'm still on track with my longer term objectives and also try to see if all aspects of my life that are important to me, are in the right shape or need more attention.
Perhaps - inspired by Sebastien's article of today - I will use this year's more quiet time to not only find time to reflect but also to pay more attention to my emotional state. To see if my emotions want to tell me something, to see if I should let them guide me. I'm looking forward to doing just that!
I wish you a HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
Let's keep progressing!
Charlie Lang
Executive Coach and Founder of Progress-U Ltd.
Author of The Groupness Factor
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Book Review: "Raising the Bar"
Integrity and Passion in Life and Business: The Story of Clif Bar & Co.
By Sebastien Henry
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 You may wonder what this book by Gary Erickson has to do with Emotional Intelligence and leadership. Actually, it contains very interesting insights in relation to this topic.
One of the fundamental aspects of developing our Emotional Intelligence as leaders is learning to listen to our emotions when making decisions.
Have you ever experienced a situation when you were about to make a decision that made a lot of sense business-wise, but somehow did not feel right? In spite of a strong case for that decision, you felt some unusually strong emotion: fear, frustration, or sadness, for instance.
What did you finally decide?
The author of this very interesting book had weeks of inner struggle before taking a clear stance.
The author is the founder of Clif Bar & Co., a company manufacturing and selling energy bars. Due to an innovative approach to the market (the use of only natural ingredients, for instance), the company grew extremely fast, from USD 700K to USD 60M in 6 to 7 years.
As Clif kept growing, the owner heard continuous warnings that the company was now going to get under attack from two massive rivals, Kraft and Nestle. And his partner wanted to exit. Selling the company was becoming an attractive option. A very attractive option, actually. The dream of many entrepreneurs was about to come true for him: somebody offered to buy Clif for USD 120M.
The two founders prepared the company for the sale, working through all the steps with bankers and lawyers. The deal was ready for signature.
But something extraordinary happened.
The owner had a string of very challenging weeks, with the stress of the preparation for the sale adding to the sadness of having to part with the company. But the process was on track, and after all, it was such an attractive offer. USD 120M would mean USD 60M for each of the partners. In a few weeks, then days, he would walk out with USD 60M in his pocket.
But, on the day he had to sign the deed of sale, he felt overwhelmed with sadness, and started feeling a lot of pain in his body, almost suffocating. He isolated himself on the parking lot of his company. Everyone was waiting for him inside to sign the deal.
Then he made a final decision. He would not sell. He went back to their office, and announced that he was not selling. This dramatic decision meant that instead of walking out with USD 60M in his pocket, he would be soon USD 60M in debt, as his infuriated partner would ask him to buy her out.
The author’s account of the whole process is fascinating. Here is one of the most striking examples I have found of a business leader giving priority to his emotions over a strong business case. In that particular case, he decided to listen fully to his sadness, and made a decision (not selling) that led him to instant relief…and later on, great joy.
The rest of the book is the story of Clif after that major decision. Clif kept growing fast and remained independent. The author, after buying out his partner a few years later, became the sole owner. Of course, it was not an easy ride, as you can imagine. But it is worth noting that he never had any regret about his decision.
What about you? In case you are presently considering a major decision, what emotions can you identify in yourself when looking at the different options? What decision would you make if you chose to fully listen to your emotions?
Yes, it is not that easy to identify one’s emotions, especially when they are mixed. Writing a journal, even for 10 minutes a day, is a good way to bring more clarity.
Reading this book will provide you with further insights, so I highly recommend it.
As a bonus, another very interesting aspect is the business approach of the owner, that he calls “triple bottom line”: people, profit, environment. This means that for him, his people and the environment carry the same weight as how much profit is made.
I hope that you find in this book as much inspiration as I did!
Warmly
Sebastien
For more information related to Progress-U's leadership programs including our EQ related programs, please click here.
 The Author: Mr. Sebastien Henry, Executive Coach & Trainer, Partner of Progress-U
For more information about the author of this article, click here. |
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With permission of Sebastien Henry, Executive Coach & Trainer and Partner of Progress-U Ltd |
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