Emotion At Work

Aug 31st, 2021   In this episode, Phil talks about Emotional Sensitivity or more commonly known as Hot Triggers. No guest is featured here but rather it includes targeted questions and reflection times throughout the episode for you as a listener to consider.   The areas of focus are; what shapes hot triggers or emotional sensitivity, how to identify them and signposts strategies to deal with them once identified.  There are regular places to pause and reflect with guided questions from Phil.   Looking first at defining emotional sensitivity Phil gives three factors to consider; things that grab easily and/or that grab you hard and/or that you hold on to. These are there to help you identify what your hot triggers may be.   Secondly, Phil introduces four factors that can increase emotional sensitivity; the intensity when the trigger was formed, the number of times it has occurred, how early in life it happened and similarity to the evolutionary theme.      Next, Phil shares some research into why we regulate

How we think or feel about ourselves and how we want others to feel about us can be manifested in the way that we look.  Some aspects about how we look, for example how we style our clothes, hair or accessories are within our control.  Other aspects, for example, our height or the shape of our skeleton, the size of our feet or hands are aspects about which we cannot control (without clinical intervention).   Body difference and physical appearance are two areas that my guest, Denise Sanderson has trained in and is an advocate for as you will hear in this episode.  Denise is someone that I hugely value in the HR world and she often gets me thinking and so it was a great opportunity to get her on to the podcast.   Some of the things that Denise shares that really got me thinking include: Is body difference and how someone looks a detriment to their chances of securing jobs or promotion? What are the links between body difference and racism? How has COVID helped and hindered those who have physical differen

In this episode, Phil talks about the Imposter Phenonemon or more commonly known as the Imposter Syndrome. No guest is featured here but rather it includes targeted questions and reflection times throughout the episode for you as a listener to consider.   Who we are making comparisons with and who those comparisons are against is an area that is reflected on here. Whether that comparison happens within oneself, in the workplace, or observed in others, different perspectives are explored. Within these perspectives, Phil gives the listener some time to reflect on the learnings throughout and for instance, focus on the question “Where does that comparison come from?”.   Comparison, the comparative aspect applied by managers and in general the comparative nature of our everyday living is explored in detail, with examples where other key themes such as Meritocracy and individualistic structure are visible. “Comparison is the thief of joy”, as Roosevelt once said, and that is something to keep in mind while lis

In this longer than usual episode, I interview Sarah Higgins who is a Leadership Coach and Author of her own book The Power of Love Leadership. Here, she developed 7 Strategies for leadership, team, business, and life to not only drive success but to manage and understand one’s own emotions in order to become a better leader (and person really).   We walk through Sarah’s Model in Detail from the different components like Fear to each of the 7 Strategies which are Gratitude, Hope, Learning, Forgiveness, Enthusiasm, Compassion, and Humility. She opens up about how she came to not only use the model with leaders but also with herself, with her daughter, and in all kinds of contexts. The topic of how we are not taught to manage our emotions is discussed at length and Sarah gives some really great examples of how she has learned to manage them within herself, and tips for others to do the same.   Your resources:   5 min – Sarah Higgins Book The Power of Love Leadership https://www.amazon.de/-/en/Sarah-Higgi

This is a sort of special edition and is in response to a general feeling of exhaustion and fed up-ness with COVID.  I shared a post on LinkedIn recently and it seemed to get people talking about how they are helping themselves right now.  This got me thinking that I could pull the conversation together in a podcast that may be helpful for folk too. This is the result. I explore the 5 families of emotion regulation, what people (and I) are doing now under each family of strategies, and regular pauses or reflection moments for you fair listener to think about what it may mean for you.     Here are your references as always:   Around 2 minutes I mention Emotional Labour and Arlie Hoschchild https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-managed-heart-commercialization-of-human-feeling/9780520272941   Shortly after I mention episode 2 of the podcast  https://emotionatwork.podbean.com/e/episode-2-emotional-inauthenticity-burnout-and-coping-mechanisms/   Then I mention an episode with Mark Gilroy that I incorrectly labeled

Shame as an emotion and topic in the workplace is one particularly interesting to me because I have experienced it, and long story short, led me to the work I do today. This is something my guest Francesca Cardona is an expert in and why I chose to bring her onto the podcast. Francesca is an organizational consultant and coach and we first got onto discussing the idea of as she put it “listening to the music behind the words”, so looking beyond the surface of words and emotions, sharing some strategies and tips on how to do that.   Some of the ways in which Francesca does this and tips for the listeners therefore are: Don’t look for a solution but instead accept that you don’t know Even if the client desires an immediate answer, trying not to do so and taking the time it requires is important Try to avoid prejudice and keep an open mind We go onto discussing how shame not only affects individuals but also the workplace. Its cause can be a combination of the individual and the workplace, and there is no

As is often the case with our ‘stories’ series, the content has the potential to affect people, and so fair listener, I want you to take care with this episode, please.  I am talking with my guest Dan Hone about being a business owner in a period of uncontrollable change (AKA Covid-19)   As this is a ‘stories’ episode there are no ‘references’ as such, there were a few things in particular that Dan mentioned as things that helped him and I have added those too.   Thanks for listening Your links or references: https://activearena.co.uk/ - this is the purpose-built indoor 5 a side arena that Dan has built-in Lincoln email address is info@activearena.co.uk https://uk.bookshop.org/books/shoe-dog-a-memoir-by-the-creator-of-nike/9781471146725 - this is the first book Dan mentions https://uk.bookshop.org/books/the-ride-of-a-lifetime-lessons-in-creative-leadership-from-15-years-as-ceo-of-the-walt-disney-company/9781787630468 - Dan calls this book journey of a lifetime and it is 'Ride' of a lifetime https://www

Fair warning for you fair listener, this podcast includes mention of pineapple on Pizza, sorry!!   I found the guest for this podcast when I was reading one of his papers and I LOVED it. The link will follow in the show notes.  We open up with the standard unexpected and innocuous question and that takes us into the pineapple incident and then we get into the podcast proper. Arik discusses three characteristics that impact and affect the appropriateness of emotion expression (and associated social outcomes for the displayer), they are:   Characteristics of the displayer - e.g. Gender   Characteristics of the display - e.g. Intensity of the emotion  Characteristics of the context - e.g. the setting (virtual vs face to face/physical)   He also goes on to discuss the idea of emotion (in)authenticity too which I found fascinating. I also (maybe cheekily) make some suggestions about how his model may be enhanced by looking at some socio-linguistics elements too.     For me, the social aspects of emotional expressi

In an unexpected turn of events for the podcast, my guest Simon Ashton from Phoenix Leaders mentions context before me.  We get into a lot of areas as this episode is the second-longest one to date.  Simon described this off-air as 'a bloody big topic' and I agree with him.  Decisions are massively influenced by what goes on inside our heads and by things that are happening or going on around us.  Therefore, this podcast has a number of different areas that we focus on.  The full list of all the key ideas/topics is covered in the Show Notes below with associated links to resources or definitions.   At about 1 hour and 3 minutes there is a bit of mild swearing so if you are listening with little ears around you may want to turn the volume down at that point.     What I really enjoyed about this podcast is the conversational flow of it.  When I listened back in the edit I once again enjoyed being part of the conversation.   If you want to get hold of Simon you can find him here:     Your links and references to

On the title alone this episode may not seem to fit this podcast and the opposite is the case.  As an evidence-based practitioner, my guest Rob Baker is right at home and his work is ultimately about how people feel about their jobs and their work.  We cover a LOT of ground in this episode and on a personal note Rob's reply to my unexpected and innocuous question is a complete surprise and I learn a lot about him.    Your references as always:   Around 3 minutes we discuss the Fat Cat on Kelham Island in Sheffield https://www.thefatcat.co.uk/   Around 5 minutes Rob talks about how he competed for GB at orienteering, you can find out more here https://www.britishorienteering.org.uk/   Around 8 minutes I mention the awesome human being called Simon Heath who is a Consulting Artist and has some sensible and practical thinking on the workplace.  You can find him on Twitter here  https://twitter.com/simonheath1?lang=en and here is his blog  https://workmusing.wordpress.com/about/   Around 17 minutes Rob mentioned

Carol Dweck's Mindset (2006) and Angela Duckworth's Grit (2016) are two of the most influential social science texts of this century, but difficulty implementing their ideas and a failure to replicate their findings have left them open to criticism. In this special crossover edition of The Good Practice and Emotion at Work podcasts, hosts Nicola Boyle and Phil Willcox are joined by Owen Ferguson, Ross Garner and Gemma Towersey to discuss. We explore: the extent to which we feel we demonstrate grit and growth mindset the problems posed by the popularity of these ideas the impact of grit and mindset on L&D. Show notes Mindset - Updated Edition: Changing the Way You Think to Fulfil Your Potential, by Carol Dweck, is available here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindset-Updated-Changing-Fulfil-Potential/dp/B07NQLQDWN Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth, is available at: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Grit-Passion-Perseverance-Angela-Duckworth-ebook/dp/B019CGY2ZG A useful review of

In this episode Mark Gilroy reprises his role as host of the podcast so that I can tell my story.  Long-time listeners will be familiar that I have had some health challenges over the last 2-3 years.  I am now feeling so much better.  Some things remain and at the same time, I am a lot better.  This is an opportunity for me to share my story and how my physical pain affected me emotionally, affected my identity as well as my professional and personal life.   Fair warning, there is occasional swearing too. The plan is for this to be the first in a series of episodes on chronic pain.  This is because I want to look at different people's experiences of chronic pain as well as interview a researcher into chronic pain.    As is the case with our Stories series, there are no references as such.  Happy listening   More from Mark:  LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mgilroy/  Twitter: https://twitter.com/thatmarkgilroy    Follow us on Instagram for exclusive Podcast updates! https://www.instagram.com/emo

My guest for this podcast is Dr. Emily Hofstetter and we get into geeky (as is often the case with me) detail about linguistics, conservation analysis and what Emily calls 'non lexical vocialisations'.  A more everyday term would be the non-word noises that feature in interaction.  We talk about how her (and others) research can be really helpful for us to look at talk and conversation in the workplace.     Your references (as always)   around 6 minutes - https://www.streetwisdom.org/   around 12 minutes - Harvey Sacks was mentioned and this is a 1978 paper on turn-taking with Emanuel Schegloff and Gail Jefferson  https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_2376846_3/component/file_2376845/content   around 13 minutes - Non Lexical Vocialisation  https://nonlexicalvocalizations.com/   around 16 minutes - we talk about turn-taking and here is a nice summary of this phenomenon from Stephen Levinson https://pure.mpg.de/rest/items/item_2193297/component/file_2240007/content   around 21 minutes - I ask Emily for a working

This episode looks at neuroscience and organizational change. My guest on this podcast, Hilary Scarlett, is both a practitioner and an author and in the most recent edition of her book, she brings together the neuroscience of organizational change. I was particularly interested in getting this guest on as she has those two different perspectives.   Your references as always: Book: Neuroscience and Organisational Change by Hilary Scarlett Social pain:  Eisenberger, NI, Lieberman, MD, & Williams, KD (2003) Does rejection hurt? An fMRI study of social exclusion. Science, 302, 290-292 'Best in show': cortisol and the impact on behaviour (and on dogs!):  Jones, AC,  and Josephs, RA, (2006) Interspecies hormonal interactions between man and the domestic dog, Hormones and Behaviour 50 pp393-400 Mehta, PH, Jones, AC, and Josephs RA (2008) The social endocrinology of dominance: basal testosterone predicts cortisol changes and behaviour following victory and defeat, Journal of Personality and Social Psych

This episode looks at Equality, Diversity and Inclusion. The topic in this episode is one that I’m very conscious of and aware of because as a middle-aged white man I’m conscious of the advantages this brings me in life.  If I think back over my career this consciousness hasn’t always been with me.  Whether that’s because of the wider conversation that’s happening around equality, diversity and inclusion or whether that’s with age I’ve become more aware of it. Our guess today, Mayokun 'Mac' Alonge, is working hard to change the awareness and consciousness around equality, diversity and inclusion.   Happy listening!   More from Mac: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayokunalonge/ Website: https://theequalgroup.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/theequalgroup   Follow us on Instagram for exclusive Podcast updates! https://www.instagram.com/emotionatworkpodcast/   Learn more about Emotion at Work: https://www.emotionatwork.co.uk   Connect with Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-willcox-02013425

This episode is a new format for the podcast.  I have gone back over some of our previous episodes and pulled together a 'best of sort of episode with a focus on 'Emotion'.  Episodes; 2 (with SJ Lennie), 25 (with Cliff Lansley), 26 (with Jo Wainwright) and 27 (with James Gross) all took a slightly different perspective on emotion and yet there were also some similarities and differences.  I wanted to pull out these similarities and differences and add to them with some reflection, comments and narration of my own.  I am not 100% sure if it works as a format and please let me know what you think.   Your references can be found on the original episode's show notes.  Happy Listening   Follow us on Instagram for exclusive Podcast updates! https://www.instagram.com/emotionatworkpodcast/   Learn more about Emotion at Work: https://www.emotionatwork.co.uk   Connect with Phil: https://www.linkedin.com/in/phil-willcox-02013425/  

This episode looks at evaluating learning. My guest is someone whose surname spikes a lot of discussion and debate within learning and development, organizational development and the HR sector. I’ve known Jim Kirkpatrick since we first met in 2012 and we’ve worked together since. I feel very honored to be one of the few people in the world that are a certified Kirkpatrick evaluation program facilitator. We look at why you should evaluate learning, the approaches you should take and bust some of the myths out there that surround learning evaluation.   As always, here are your references: Find out more about the Kirkpatrick Programmes run with Developing People Globally: https://www.dpgplc.co.uk/courses-qualifications/learning-and-development/kirkpatrick-four-levels-evaluation-certification-programme/ Visit the Kirkpatrick Partners website: www.kirkpatrickpartners.com Sign up free for resources and newsletters on the Kirkpatrick website at: https://www.kirkpatrickpartners.com/Resources You can find detail

This episode tackles a current and complicated area of Digital Body language.  Digital communication, learning and interaction continue their upward trend and my guest this week is on the leading edge of that curve. The wonderful Jo Cook  and I take this podcast down a particular route for digital body language.  We focus on the interactional aspects and we explore how we can use and harness the power and opportunities technology offers us to actively consider if not read others' Digital Body Language.  We are aware enough that it is not all sunshine and rainbows and so we get into the challenges and strategies to overcome them too.   As always, here are your references:   Steve Woods digital body language blog (mentioned around 9 minutes) http://digitalbodylanguage.blogspot.com   Jo’s Digital Body Language blog with research links (mentioned around 10 minutes): https://lightbulbmoment.info/2018/04/04/what-is-digital-body-language/   The Good Practice Podcast Jo appeared on as a guest (mentioned around 11

This episode kicks of 2019 at the start of a new period of change and challenge for me. This is my review of 2018 and a look ahead to 2019.  I am very reflective and open in sharing what I am thinking and feeling about what has been and what is ahead.     Your references as always:   I mention episode 16 (2 mins) where I kicked of 2018 and it is actually episode 14 *oops*.  Here’s the link to the right episode though: https://emotionatwork.podbean.com/e/episode-14-emotion-at-work-in-stories-phil-willcox/   Here is a link to the “3 good podcast” episode that I mention (7 mins): https://threegood.podbean.com/e/the-3-good-podcast-episode-21-two-guys-talking-about-wellbeing/   Here are all of the 'stories’ episodes of 2018 I mention (13 minutes): Episode 16 focussing on Imposter Syndrome https://emotionatwork.podbean.com/e/episode-16-emotion-at-work-stories-imposter-syndrome/ Episode 17 focussing on Burnout https://emotionatwork.podbean.com/e/emotion-at-work-stories-burnout/ Episode 22 focussing on Anxiety and di