Too Much Of A Good Thing

Which of the following situations could cause someone to be perceived as lacking composure?

1. As CEO, Tricia feels strongly that her company should make every effort to fill a vacant position for a senior officer with a minority person. When the executive in charge of the search brings Tricia the narrowed list of candidates’ profiles, she quickly sees that none are minorities, shoves the papers back, and glares. “Don’t you get it? There’s not a woman or an African-American on this list.”

2. At a quarterly meeting with all 300 employees, the president recognizes the company’s unprecedented increase in revenues due to the sales team’s victory in landing a huge account against the odds. He asks the team to stand, and while the audience applauds excitedly and some sales members high-five each other, one member whistles through his fingers and beats his chest while doing a Tarzan call.

If you thought both could be damaging, you are right. Even overreactions to positive or seemingly harmless emotions can decrease one’s composure rating.

Jeanne Walsh, senior vice president of special projects for the Eastern Division of the American Cancer Society, is obviously passionate about fighting cancer. She loves her work, and she is a ball of fire—perky and smart, with a track record of making good decisions from her gut. Walsh’s creativity and ability to inspire volunteers have resulted in strategic international partnerships that have made a difference to people fighting the disease, and her coworkers like and admire her except for one thing: “She can be way too out there with her emotions,” a colleague said. Another said: “She’s as good as they get, but this hurts her professionally.” Walsh’s high standards, including a zealous belief in fairness and compassion for the cause, sometimes produce high-flying emotions and impulsive reactions. Once she was so furious with a decision her boss was making that she hung up on a conference call.

Personally, Walsh was concerned about how she was coming-across but also struggled with whether a change meant she would have to be less authentic. “I feel like I’m going to have to change who I really am, and that bothers me,” she said. But tinkering around with the essence of Jeanne was not what composure was about, and she learned that there are strategies that can help her remain composed without changing her core nature.

For instance, Walsh looked at how she could handle an upcoming conference call on a sensitive issue. In the past she would just barrel right in and react to the topic, but this time she didn’t. Instead, she listened, asked questions, and took notes, starring items that she felt really strongly about. After the call, she put together a well-thought-out memo to her boss and the CEO outlining a strategy for resolving the issues.

Despite reservations in the beginning, Walsh now works hard to monitor and regulate her emotions. “I can definitely see now how my emotions were affecting how people viewed me,” she said. “It’s not easy, but now I feel more in control, and I think others see it too.”

Can too much energy have a downside? Can you be too happy or too excited? These comments from leadership surveys reveal how too much of a good thing can be perceived negatively:

• “Temper your passion and optimism. It gets in your way sometimes.”

• “Jim is a high-energy leader. He brings enthusiasm to the team. But his credibility suffers when he has emotional responses to staff. Others sometimes see him as being unstable.”

• “Katy’s voice tone is very loud and gets to be annoying. As she gets more excited, her voice tone increases. Needs to work on this.”

• “Do not get emotional over an issue. Matter-of-fact communication is most effective. His passion at times can be misunderstood.”

• “Joanna needs to tone down her the-sky-is-falling vibes. She needs to approach her work in a calmer demeanor as she tends to create unnecessary anxiety with peers and subordinates.”

Positive emotions can be applied to the emotional continuum as well. If your excitement, happiness, or passion reaches a level where you might react in a way that lacks composure, take a minute and choose your behaviors wisely. Gloating over a promotion can be just as damaging as losing your cool under pressure.