The link between emotions and performance

Research has suggested that staying calm under pressure is directly linked to work performance. The ability to mange emotions in the workplace is crucial to success. A recent TalentSmart study was conducted with a million workers. The results revealed that 90% of the top performers in their companies were those that also remained calm and controlled their emotions in high stress situations.

Travis Bradberry, President at TalentSmart, highlighted the importance of keeping stress under control:

Besides increasing your risk of heart disease, depression, and obesity, stress decreases your cognitive performance. Fortunately, though, unless a lion is chasing you, the bulk of your stress is subjective and under your control. Top performers have well-honed coping strategies that they employ under stressful circumstances. This lowers their stress levels regardless of what’s happening in their environment, ensuring that the stress they experience is intermittent and not prolonged. [/note]

Need to stay calm? Try the following tips:

• • Avoid asking “what if?” Asking “what if” and thinking about all potential possibilities can cause unnecessary stress and worry. Avoiding such hypothetical situations can calm you down and keep dress under control.
• • Stay positive. Thinking positive thoughts helps to redirect your mind onto things that are free of stress, rather than worrying.
• • Reframe your perspective. Everyone encounters stressful situations. However, you can control how you respond to such situations. By changing your perception of stressful events, you can keep yourself more calm.
• • Disconnect. Disconnecting all forms of communication such as phone and email can be beneficial in lowering stress levels. Making yourself constantly available 24/7 opens the door to continuous stress. Your body needs a break from it.
• • Use your support system. To be productive while keeping yourself calm, it is important to recognize your own weaknesses. Those who can recognize their weaknesses are not afraid to ask for help. Utilizing your support system can help to alleviate some stress on yourself, while strengthening your relationships with those close to you.