Eleanor Hecks
Eleanor Hecks is a writer who has been sharing SMB and leadership insights for nearly a decade. Her work has been featured on publications such as Fast Company, HubSpot and eLearning Industry. She currently serves as Editor-in-Chief of Designerly Magazine. Continue reading to discover what she has to say about advocating for systemic change.
How to Master Emotional Agility as a Woman New to Leadership
Stepping into a leadership role can be nerve-wracking and exciting. However, women often have higher expectations from their colleagues to do their job well. They put more pressure on themselves, which leads to anxiety and mixed emotions.
When working in a leadership role, you must remain professional, even when stressed. The best route is to upskill your emotional agility — an essential quality all leaders must obtain to inspire, collaborate and confidently lead.
What Is Emotional Agility?
Emotional agility is the ability to manage your thoughts and emotions, which improves your handling of challenges and decisions. This approach focuses on being flexible and more
empathetic, even when things get tough.
Being emotionally agile allows you to recognize your feelings and understand where others are coming from. You can then use this knowledge to respond thoughtfully. Many who have implemented this approach have learned how to stay calm in stressful situations.
This helps you gain higher emotional intelligence, allowing you to make more purposeful decisions. Studies show that emotional intelligence influences 58% of your choices and performance in the workplace. Building this skill helps you produce strong teams, resolve conflicts and have better judgment at work.
As a result of building emotional agility, you will feel more in control and connected with your team. Over time, your confidence will soar and set you up for leadership success.
Strategies for Practicing Emotional Agility
Women who are new to leadership can develop emotional agility over time. It takes intentional practice to strengthen it with the following strategies.
1. Cultivate Self-Awareness
Self-awareness lays the groundwork for emotional agility. It involves understanding your feelings, recognizing your triggers, and reflecting on how they influence your thoughts and actions. As a leader, self-awareness allows you to identify patterns in your behavior to adjust how you approach your peers.
Self-awareness may come more naturally when you intentionally set time aside for reflection. Journaling or pausing throughout the day helps you consider how you have felt and reacted
during specific situations. The more aware you are of your emotions, the more effective you become at overcoming challenges.
2. Take on the Role of a Servant Leader
Servant leadership is a concept that started in the 1970s and has since grown in popularity as a model for success. Being a servant leader means putting your team’s needs first, fostering their growth, and focusing on building trust and collaboration. It centers on serving others as the path to achieving shared goals rather than prioritizing authority and control.
Adopting this mindset helps new leaders build better relationships, which sets a foundation of mutual respect. It also aligns with emotional agility because servant leaders practice empathy. Start by focusing on listening actively and seeking feedback. Doing so gives insight into issues you must overcome to support your team’s development.
3. Learn to Pause and Respond Thoughtfully
It is easy to react impulsively in moments of stress or conflict. However, responding without thinking can lead to disappointment or worse outcomes. Instead, take a moment to process your feelings and consider the best course of action.
It is also okay to walk away from the situation until you better grasp your emotions. When done mindfully, you can come back with a better resolution and prevent misunderstandings.
Before responding to a challenging situation, take a deep breath. This brief pause allows you to regulate your emotions and choose a response that aligns with your leadership goals. Over time, this habit can help you communicate more and maintain a calm demeanor.
4. Practice Emotional Regulation
Gain the ability to manage and adjust your emotions in a healthy way. Emotional regulation means learning to channel your feelings constructively. Leaders with strong emotional
regulation skills stay focused and composed when facing setbacks or criticism.
To strengthen this skill, try reframing negative thoughts into positive ones — a popular approach backed by psychology and commonly taught in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). For example, instead of dwelling on a mistake, focus on what you have learned and how to apply it
moving forward.
5. Develop Adaptability
Successful leaders learn to adapt, as they are willing to learn and be open to change when circumstances shift. When you become more adaptable, you can confidently navigate
uncertainty and guide your team through transitions.
One way to cultivate this is by adopting a growth mindset — viewing challenges as opportunities to learn and grow. This approach allows you to rework your thinking, helping you respond to unexpected challenges.
Become a Resilient and Inspiring Leader
Mastering emotional agility can be complex for women new to leadership. However, if you equip yourself with the resources and tools to build it, you can take on the challenges of your role. Give yourself the room to grow and embrace every emotion you feel. When you set aside time for reflection and learning, you can better understand yourself and those around you.
