I was leading an offsite with a team of twelve scientists and engineers at one of the largest tech companies in the world. After meeting with each of them individually on Zoom to understand their Enneagram types, we were now meeting in-person for a weekend leadership retreat in Muir Woods, just north of San Francisco.
This was a group of some of the smartest people on the planet working on solutions for some of the world’s biggest problems like cyber security, climate change, and sustainable agriculture.
The leader of the group was passionate about professional development. He understood that if the team were to continue being successful, they’d have to continue growing in their leadership skills to be creative, innovative, and motivated.
Being that they were scientists and engineers and based on our one-on-one meetings, I knew going into the offsite that this group tended to lean more towards objectivity, logic, and analysis than emotions, vulnerability, and expression. However, they all seemed open to the importance of developing their emotional intelligence and connection with each other in order to become more effective leaders in their fields.
On the first day of the retreat, as we were diving into the vulnerable aspects of our Enneagram types, I could feel daggers coming at me from across the room from Michael, a seasoned scientist.
I trusted my intuition, “What’s going on, Michael?”
Visibly uncomfortable, seemingly irritated, with his arms crossed he answered, “I’m a scientist. All I care about are facts and science. I appreciate your work, but it doesn’t really apply to me. As a scientist, I separate myself from my emotions in order to do the work.”
Hearing this from Michael was not surprising. The idea that emotions and logic don’t mix is a common misconception, especially in industries like tech, engineering, and science. And countless other people across all industries think that emotions need to be “left at the door” in professional settings.
In the book Emotional Ignorance by neuroscientist, Dr. Dean Burnett, he shows data on how better understanding our emotions, particularly our own, leads to better science.
Neuroscientist, Dr. Kelly Kent of Master Mind Institute emphasizes in her teachings that while many people think that logic and emotions seem unrelated, it is actually impossible to separate them. More and more neuroscience evidence shows how our brains are hyperconnected. Our emotions are impacting our decision making all the time, whether we are conscious of it or not, for better or for worse.
There is no separate emotional brain and logical brain.
Dr. Kent further emphasizes that because our emotions can be unconsciously impacting us in negative ways, it is important to intentionally access our emotions if we want to increase effectiveness in our professional and personal lives.
This means taking the time to identify how we are feeling and why, and even paying attention to what emotional clues our bodies are telling us.
For example, you may find yourself getting increasingly angry at your co-worker, but really you are just hungry. Ever hear of being “hangry”? The struggle is real…and scientifically proven!
Back to Michael…
I thanked him for sharing and acknowledged that logic and emotions can seem very separate and unrelated, especially in science. I continued by sharing that more and more neuroscience evidence shows how much our brains are hyperconnected.
The more intentional access we make toward our emotions, the more effective we can be in aligning our intentions with our impact and making well-informed decisions.
Hearing this seemed to disarm Michael a bit.
I asked him, “How are your emotions impacting your logic right now?”
He paused, reflected, and then gave a chuckle. “Well, I was feeling annoyed, like this was a waste of time, and honestly, was about to walk out of the room.”
I replied, “I see. How may this be showing up in your work?”
He gave a slight smirk and nod, and was warming up to the fact that his emotions have a bigger impact on his logic than he thinks.
The rest of the weekend was powerful and challenging. The group of engineers and scientists continued to open up and had insights about how consciously integrating their logic and emotion would improve their effectiveness in their work, research, leadership and team cohesiveness.
What are your initial thoughts on keeping emotions and logic separate?
Regardless of industry, all leaders can improve their effectiveness by understanding how logic and emotions are intertwined and cannot be separated. It is this realization and deliberately accessing your emotions in your decision making process that can lead to enhanced personal and professional outcomes
Here are some ways to integrate logic and emotions into your leadership:
- Accept the neuroscience evidence that emotions and logic are hyper connected in the brain, cannot be separated, and that your emotions are impacting you whether you know it or not
The first step to improved effectiveness in integrating logic and emotion is accepting that they’re intertwined. Depending on your relationship with your emotional expression, this acceptance may be easier for some than others. Accept that your emotions impact your decision making whether you know it or not.
- Practice naming your emotions
Take time to reflect and name what emotion you’re currently experiencing. Start with one emotion. Identify it like “I’m feeling peaceful” or “I’m feeling nervous” or “I’m feeling happy”.
- Tune into your body
Slow down, take a deep breath, and do a body scan from your toes to the top of your head. Pay attention to what your body is telling you. Is there tightness in your left thigh? Is there a sinking feeling in your gut? What may your body be telling you about what you’re feeling?
- Ask others to share and name the emotion they are feeling
Encourage others to practice identifying and naming their emotions as well. Create an environment where it is normal and encouraged that deliberately connecting your feelings with your logic is important and necessary for effective communication, decision making and leadership.
Breaking free from the myth that emotions and logic can exist in isolation is crucial for leaders across diverse industries. The story of Michael, the scientist, serves as a tangible example of the impact emotions can have even in analytical fields.
Recognizing the symbiotic relationship between emotions and logic is not just a personal growth journey but a strategic move towards achieving heightened effectiveness in both your professional and personal realms.
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