It's Never "Just Business": 4 Times Emotions Play a Role In Business
We have all heard the phrase, “It’s just business” and it’s usually associated with some sort of negative situation. As a professional and business owner, a recent situation got me thinking about this. Being told so often to take emotion out of the equation raises an interesting question. Is it ever “just business”?
Here are a few situations where emotions have played a part in business for better or for worse:
#1 For Better
Reaching your audience through emotional connection. This is key when developing content for any channels. If you aren’t trying to connect with your audience through emotion a la Toy R Us and their nostalgic oath or the adorable puppy love commercial from Budweiser (will always be a favourite!), then you really need to get on that.
#2 For Better
As an entrepreneur with a dream to start a business, you have to have passion for what you do. Behind the vision is an emotional connection to what is created. Business leaders need that emotional connection to their brands to help the business grow and thrive.
#3 For Worse
We have all worked in an office where there is someone on the team who just isn’t cutting it, but management just won’t let them go. It usually becomes obvious that they hang out socially after work or even have a romantic relationship. Because they don’t want to lose the relationship they have, many closed-minded leaders will keep the person on the team at the detriment of the business and team growth.
Source: freedigitalphotos.net
#4 For Worse
Growing a business at any stage is a challenge because you will inevitably experience rejection. If you are trying to secure funding, you may need to speak to multiple investors before you hear yes. If you are soliciting new business, not everyone is going to jump at the chance to work with you. So many business owners, especially small business, will give up because they start feeling sorry for themselves, or they take it too personally. You are more than likely going to hear a bunch of no’s before you hear yes. Celebrate that one yes, and take into account why the others said no. Maybe it’s time to tweak your approach!
#5 For Worse
It’s time to make a big decision and you are in a time crunch. Sometimes when it comes down to it, if you aren’t careful and you make a decision purely based on emotion it can hurt the business because it wasn’t the most logical thing to do.
#6 For Better
On the flip side of this, your gut can tell you whether something is good for your business. Most of us see red flags when it comes to working with specific people or looking at specific aspects of your operations. However, these red flags are often ignored because they may seem insignificant. Those red flags can very quickly add up!
While including emotions in business can either hurt or help you, the best way to approach decisions or strategy is to not try to avoid emotion altogether, but to keep emotion in check. Be honest with yourself about how you feel about something then apply your logical brain to it. Humans are both thinking and feeling, so you might as well combine the best of both worlds.