The Role of Emotion at Work

Last year, Hurricane Katrina drove thousands of displaced New Orleans residents to the Louisiana Superdome, which became a shelter for both human and animal storm refugees. The damage from the storm, coupled with the stress of taking on unexpected inhabitants, caused major damage to the venue. This meant the stadium’s resident team, the New Orleans Saints, played 22 football games on the road in a row.

All that changed this week when the Saints came marching back home to the grand reopening of their repaired stadium on Monday Night Football. It was a star-studded event, and more than one beefy linebacker was seen weeping on the sidelines at the pageantry and emotion of it all.

My football-nut husband says the Saints have had a poor record -- prompting the nickname The Aints. According to Wikipedia, they are the oldest franchise in the NFL to have never gone to a Super Bowl or championship game. My husband also felt the Atlanta Falcons were the better team of the two that matched up Monday night.

None of that mattered -- the Saints shellacked the Falcons in an almost cathartic victory for the pain caused by Katrina. As I said to my husband, I felt bad for whomever the Saints played -- this was one team running on heart.

Sports is full of stories like this -- think of Tiger Woods’s outpouring of emotion after one golf victory, which came soon after his beloved dad’s passing. But emotion has a place in the office, too. Even beyond tears, emotion and passion, when properly used, can move mountains on the job. If you truly care about what you do, you’ll be engaged. And if you’re engaged, you’re going to do better work.

Check out these resources about harnessing your emotions in the workplace:

• “Crying at Work: Learn to Let Tears Talk”
• “Get Over Getting Mad”
• “Stress-Management Tips for Healthcare Workers”

Share this post: Digg, StumbleUpon, del.icio.us, Facebook, Twitter, etc.