Emotionally Charged How to Lead in the New World of Work

A captivating blend of cutting-edge scientific evidence and real-world stories providing leaders and managers with proven and practical strategies and tools for navigating today's emotionally taxing workplace.

Broad changes have dramatically disrupted our workplaces and increased the emotional demands on leaders everywhere. Leaders now must support their teams' mental health and burnout (while managing their own), build trust with and motivate a remote and diverse workforce, allay employee fears of obsolescence while driving the integration of new technologies like AI, and demonstrate bottomless sensitivity and compassion while still delivering results at a relentless pace. No wonder leaders are burning out. Emotional labor is a daily unrecognized burden leaders carry and can have significant costs for their health and performance over time.

However, achieving high performance and fulfillment without compromising your well-being is possible, and Emotionally Charged shows you how. Dina Denham Smith and Alicia A. Grandey debunk myths and equip you to handle emotionally loaded work events, from preparing for high-stakes scenarios to managing curveballs and conflicts, supporting distressed employees, and recovering effectively after being drained at work.

Blending real-world cases from leaders and evidence-based insights, Emotionally Charged will help all leaders--from front-line managers to C-Suite execs--manage the new work landscape. Anchored in the science of emotions, Emotionally Charged will equip you with practical strategies and tools to lead successfully and thrive in the new age of work.

Dina Denham Smith is an executive coach to senior leaders and teams at premier brands such as Adobe, PwC, Gilead, Sephora, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Netflix, and numerous high-growth companies. She coaches, speaks, and delivers high-impact workshops internationally. Prior to coaching, she was a management consultant and held executive roles in private equity and the marketing technology sector. Denham Smith has written over 60 articles for the Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Forbes on leadership and career success and is frequently featured in international media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, Business Insider, Newsweek, and the ^IBBC. She holds an MS in Organizational Psychology and an MBA from the University of Michigan.

Alicia A. Grandey is a distinguished professor of industrial organizational psychology at Pennsylvania State University. An internationally recognized expert on emotional labor and diversity, she has published a book on emotional labor and over 60 scientific articles that are ranked in the top 1% for impact among business and management scholars. She is an award-winning researcher and teacher who shares her expertise with leaders and their employees in workshops and broadly via media outlets such as WorkLife with Adam Grant, The New Yorker, National Public Radio, The Guardian, Newsweek, CNN, ABC, and BBC, and in articles for The Conversation and Harvard Business Review. She holds a PhD in psychology from Colorado State University and is a Fellow of the Association of Psychological Science.

Acknowledgments

1. Introduction: From a Simmer to a Boil
How work and leadership has changed

Part I: Correcting the Record

2. An Introduction to Emotions
What all leaders should know

3. The Fine Art of Managing Beachballs
Why advanced emotional skills are essential

4. Emotions: Separating Fact from Fiction
New truths about emotions at work

5. Emotions: Become the Architect of Your Own Emotions
Why increasing your vocabulary helps

Part II: From Surviving to Thriving

6. Keep Your Emotional Engine Running Smoothly
To be an effective leader, you have to take care of yourself

7. Anticipate the Curves in the Road
How to prepare for an emotionally charged event (before it's too late)

8. Become a Brave Leader
How to stay cool in the heat of the moment

9. Make an Emotional Pitstop
How to recover from emotionally charged events

Part III: Doing Hard Things Well

10. Navigating the Necessary Evils of Leadership
What to do when doing your job makes people feel bad

11. When Leaders Become Emotional Handlers
You're not your employees' therapist

12. The Emotional Dynamics of Diversity
Leading through conflict and building inclusive teams

13. Leading with Humanity in the Digital Age
How to navigate the potential--and tensions--of technology

14. Conclusion: Onward and Upward
Continuing the journey to advanced emotional capabilities

References
Index