Work can be like the last place you go to open up about your feelings. But the best-selling author Susan Cain says that vulnerability in the workplace – when done at the right time – can actually be beneficial.
Part of Cain’s new book, “Misfortunes: How sadness and longing make us whole” discuss how the workplace often discourages managers and employees from sharing difficult feelings and experiences. She said: “People often feel drained because they often hide their true feelings, such as trying to be definitively happy when they are really sad or distressed.
But managers and other leaders in the workplace can help create an environment where people feel comfortable sharing difficult emotions, which can promote happiness and productivity. of people in the workplace, Cain tells CNBC Make It.
“Whenever a leader goes ahead, it is a way of making others acceptable and there are both soft and hard benefits to that,” she said.
According to Cain, timing could be the key.
Leaders must “read the room” and share those feelings when the workplace is more relaxed and open, as opposed to during busier working times. For example, don’t share something you’re struggling with in the middle of a morning meeting or a few hours before your team’s highly profitable project is due. Instead, share during lunch, your break, or maybe in the late afternoon when the busy part of the workday is over.
“Look for moments of openness during the ups and downs of any given workday,” says Cain.
She points to an example: A Google research found that the top performing teams at the company had the greatest “psychological security,” meaning that team members felt safe being vulnerable in front of each other without fear of embarrassment or punishment. ridicule.
One Manager of Google especially gathering his group for off-site discussion and ask people to share something personal. The manager shared for the first time how he was battling stage 4 cancer, which encouraged others to open up and reveal their private stories, Cain said. The team found it easier to talk honestly with each other and eventually adopted it into their work, which helped them get along better and perform their work tasks more efficiently.
However, Cain notes that sharing emotions isn’t necessarily limited to things beyond your control, such as a loss or, in the case of a Google manager, illness. At the right times, you can talk about divorces, financial troubles, or interpersonal conflicts, among other topics.
“I would say that sharing those struggles is probably the next frontier,” she said.
The bottom line is that leaders have the ability to create an environment where it’s acceptable to share difficult emotions – especially if they’re willing to take the lead.
“Going ahead is always the best offer,” Cain said. “This is not to say that leaders should feel pressured to share bold things they might feel private. But simply being open in comfortable ways is one way to invite the other person in. do the same thing.”
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