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PHILIP'S BLOG: Emotional agility – vital for diversity and leadership

BY PHILIP PATSTON

February 4, 2018

The TEDTalk below by psychologist Susan David is remarkably profound and well worth a watch.

She eloquently attaches her notion of emotional agility to leadership, courage and diversity, making the point that what we judge as negative emotions – and often try to deny or avoid – are equally as important to acknowledge and express as so-called positive ones.

As well, she points out that the language we use around emotions is critical. Distinguishing, for example, between feeling stressed and feeling dissatisfied with one's job, is crucial to self-awareness and authenticity.

Being careful about how we talk about emotions – saying, "I'm noticing I'm feeling sad," rather than "I am sad," empowers us to own our emotions instead of them owning us.