Managing the Dark Side – When Strengths Become Weaknesses – Part 1
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No one is perfect, we all have foibles, mannerisms and preferences, that make us unique. Equally strengths we display at work and home like diligence, confidence, enthusiasm can at times become weaknesses if overused or not controlled.
In this series, we are going to look at the impact of our strengths when we are under stress and less concerned than usual about the impression we make on others. When can this happen? We might be unwell, extremely tired, overly worried, feel under pressure with too many critical deadlines to meet, feel under threat [real or imagined] – or feel uninhibited because we are under the influence of alcohol or drugs!
Let’s start with the strength of enthusiasm – which is often linked with volatility.
The Enthusiast
Working life can be far pleasanter when we work with enthusiastic people. Enthusiasts bring energy, commitment and often imagination to any project. They enjoy change and variety in their work and probably high standards. So, if a project is failing they will quickly assess whether it’s worth continuing with or whether they need to adopt a new approach – which can be useful. Their enthusiasm can capture the imagination of others, be positively infectious and energising, and help the team deal with setbacks. Enthusiasm is desirable; it’s often covered by 360 degree reviews, and managers look for it at interview to help them achieve team and organisational goals.
But what is its ‘dark side’? People who are highly enthusiastic can’t always sustain it. They can be easily disheartened and disappointed because their very enthusiasm promoted unrealistic expectations of newfound friends or colleagues. They may give up on projects too soon when setbacks occur – taking lack of progress as a personal snub rather than seeing the situation for what it really is. In other words, the flipside of enthusiasm can be volatility; people who get really excited about things can find themselves on a rollercoaster of emotion, and when they get upset, they experience equally strong negative emotions.
Enthusiastic and volatile employees can be difficult to work with because they are unpredictable, easily offended, their moods change quickly, and they can be prone to emotional outbursts in the office. They may also dwell on past failures and relationships and too readily see themselves as a victim of others.
How then do we manage such employees? We can:
- Use 360 feedback from colleagues to help open a discussion with them about their enthusiasm and disappointments.
- Help them to see the benefits of enthusiasm and explore the downsides when their moods change by getting them to explore their feelings the next time they feel disappointed or irritated by someone.
- See if you can help them find a mentor who they relate to because they are also enthusiastic – but who has learned to control the downside and is very calm when things go wrong? What have they found helpful in gaining perspective, and keeping their negative reactions under control?
- Ask them which colleagues they trust sufficiently that if their mood starts to change those colleagues can alert them to that mood change and help them calm down and rationalise what is happening. Can they work with their colleagues or mentor, when they spot the early warning signs of the rollercoaster starting to head downhill?
- Ask them to create an ‘emotional temperature chart’ and to plot their productivity against this to help them see when they perform best and when their changing moods take them off track.
Helping enthusiastic people with a volatile dark side will help ensure their key strength doesn’t derail their career, their performance or value as a team member. As managers, we can help them increase their ability to manage their feelings and ensure the impression they leave on others is positive more often than negative.
If you would like to know more about career derailers talk to Talent and Potential about this series and the Hogan Development Survey psychometric which can be used for both recruitment and development.