Emotional management tackles stress
Consultants’ daily lives run the emotional gamut, particularly during stressful times. How can emotional management help with reducing stress levels?
Even though our rocket scientists are able to provide experience-based insights and possess an ability to solve complex challenges that sets them apart from the average coder, they are far from immune to the impacts of heavy workloads and stress. A consultant isn’t a machine.
“The number one stress factor is assignment-related frustration and challenges in self-management and personal life,” the Rocket’s CEO Juha Huttunen says.
Clearly these are no minor issues.
“My job is to create a psychologically safe environment where people are allowed to express all kinds of emotions and discuss them together if necessary.” - Juha Huttunen
“Emotions that emerge at the workplace affect everyone’s overall well-being. My job is to create a psychologically safe environment where people are allowed to express all kinds of emotions and discuss them together if necessary,” Juha says.
What makes consultants feel stressed?
#1 Frustration with assignments
“While doing client work, consultants often come across things that annoy them. For example, some inefficient technical implementation that slows down the entire development team can cause quite a bit of irritation,” Juha says.
Consultants at the Rocket have enough experience under their belts to know how to tackle the clients’ problems in more optimal ways.
This type of thing can really get to a consultant – especially when the goal is to offer only the best for demanding needs. Nothing can solved by nagging at the client, though; instead, the key to resolving the situation is knowing which things you can influence and which you can’t.
At the same time, some feelings of pressure can be very motivational and provide fuel for finishing a demanding task. Once the hardest hurdles have been overcome, it’s easy to get immersed in rows of code. This flow state drives the consultant forward during hard times and also marks the point where enthusiasm, the drive to acquire new knowledge and self-confidence truly begin to skyrocket.
#2 Challenges in self-management and recognising one’s own limitations
“Frustration with assignments, challenges in recognising own limitations and worries in personal life are the common issues that make consults feel stressed,” says Juha, Rakettitiede CEO.
The sky may be the limit, but sometimes rocket scientists hit the ceiling before getting that far. Recognising one’s own limitations is challenging in today’s hectic work environment. Tight schedules may result in long hours, or the Rocket’s salary model may tempt the consultant to do more work than they can handle.
“Experts need to be able to critically assess their coping,” Juha says. Even though the Rocket’s own support teams and consultant caretakers are there to help, the requirement for self-management can be a stress factor. At the same time, it’s not something that can be avoided in the world of consulting.
#3 The many woes of private life
Stress can accumulate over time and doesn’t necessarily have to be work-related. An employee is always a complex individual, not a mechanical worker. According to Juha, stress often piles up when a person goes through a rough patch in their private life.
“A human being is a holistic entity that embodies many things besides their professional self,” Juha says. “It’s only natural that sometimes one’s personal life spills over to the workplace and vice versa.”
Different emotions can’t simply be left at the homestead or workplace; instead, they follow the consultant wherever they go.
Feelings aren’t something you can escape. However, having support in recognising and managing emotions can lead to a significant reduction in stress levels.
Okay, this is starting to sound like Dr. Phil meets the Sharing Is Caring Crew. But bear with us: emotional management and emotional intelligence are great tools for coping with stressful situations.
What exactly is emotional management?
Emotional management refers to the ability to recognise, accept and regulate one’s own and other people’s emotions in a constructive way. Recognising and managing our own emotions allows us to react to stress and challenges with greater poise.
Iida Mäkikallio is a psychologist and coach specialising in relationships and emotional skills. According to her, a safe emotional climate at the workplace is a prerequisite for allowing the core business to flourish.
“The prevailing emotional climate at the workplace lays the foundation for all other capabilities. Joint decision-making and learning, creativity and the ability to innovate are all based on our ability to trust the people around us and express ourselves in a way that makes us feel safe,” Mäkikallio says.
Despite its name, emotional management isn’t limited to the actions of the company’s executive division. Every consultant can benefit from the regulation and identification of their emotions.
According to psychologist and coach Iida Mäkikallio, the prevailing emotional climate at the workplace lays the foundation for all other capabilities.
It’s safe to say that emotions are part of every work environment, whether we like it or not. “It all boils down to understanding that we are dealing with living and breathing people who always come with their own feelings and experiences. The key question we need to ask ourselves is: do we act accordingly?” Mäkikallio says.
Can anybody hear me?
The first step to emotional management is recognising and verbalising one’s own feelings, in other words, increasing one’s emotional intelligence.
And that isn’t always easy.
“Telling someone why you’re ready to blow a fuse and what happened can be an extremely difficult task. It requires conscious practice. If you’re unable to describe your negative emotions, the recipient will fill in the blanks with guesswork,” Juha says. Honest and open communication requires practice and putting yourself on the line.
Information about how the Rocket’s consultants are feeling is mostly conveyed through the caretakers. “However, if I happen to notice that something is weighing on a consultant’s mind, I will bring it up with them,” Juha says.
How would you approach a consultant whose annoyance meter is in the red due to a nonfunctional technical implementation, for example?
“In situations like these, I try to acknowledge all kinds of emotions as neutrally as possible. Staying calm, listening and being present goes a long way. But difficult situations are always difficult,” he says with a sigh. Another case of back to the basics, then: people want to be seen and heard.
There should be a way to deal with situations that bring about difficult emotions. Once feelings are out in the open, the path is clear for discussing the underlying issue and finding a solution.
“It’s a question of finding a way to talk to the client in a constructive and honest manner and letting go of negativity. I want to know how I and the entire office staff at the Rocket can help the consultants,” Juha says.
Emotional intelligence – rocket scientists’ superpower?
Having emotional intelligence and emotional management skills can be a superpower that benefits both the rocket scientist and the client.
“The way an individual deals with uncomfortable feelings defines the extent to which they are able to have meaningful encounters with other people.” - Iida Mäkikallio
“The way an individual deals with uncomfortable feelings defines the extent to which they are able to have meaningful encounters with other people,” Mäkikallio says.
Really listening to one’s own feelings may be revealing. Being able to suss out any signs of stress in good time helps with coping and enhances well-being.
The Rocket offers every consultant preemptive well-being services in the form of caretakers and the Auntie service.
“In high-stress situations, these are nothing but first-aid measures,” Juha says and continues: “To get to the root of the problem, we need to sit down with the consultant.”
This isn’t to say that work should always be about fun and games and playing in ball pits.
“If you’re having a crappy day, that isn’t a problem and you can say it out loud. In fact, I encourage everyone to do just that,” Juha says.