Or
What Would Mr Spock Do?
I’m going to come right out and say it.
I think emotions are key to business. They are a precious tool that should never, ever be ignored. They are the central line of dialogue between your higher brain functions and your subconscious, the route to your creative well.
And you can be creative in business. In fact, you must.
The important caveat in all of this: first you must disconnect from those feelings. Be the observer. Your emotions must not rule your behaviour, but instead inform that behaviour, balanced by the facts.
I like to condense this question down to: What would Mr Spock do?
As a Vulcan, Mr Spock has learned to disconnect from his emotions. As a half-human, he must work harder to rule those emotions, however. Mr Spock uses his emotions as an evaluative tool, that’s why he’s such a wonderfully popular character.
If a business choice feels good, that is a good sign.
Sometimes the pros and cons balance and cancel each other. Relying on cold, hard facts and logic will not make the decision.
Sometimes the pros will outweigh the cons, but there’s that one huge, hulking great ugly con that just churns your guts when you think about it.
The trick is to learn to interpret these emotions correctly. They are a tool, never forget. They do not rule you.
So, whilst a certain business decision may make you feel fear… is there an element of prickly excitement about that fear? That’s good fear, that probably means you should go for it!
Does the thought of spending time with a prospective new client on a particular project make you feel tired? That’s a seriously bad sign. How are you going to create awesome music (or whatever it is that you do in your business) when you’re feeling so low?
These are just a few examples. The point is to learn to read the emotions for what they are, subconscious pointers – yay or nay – for what’s right for you, business… and otherwise.
Image: Flickr