HR Professional - August/September 2008 - (Page 58)

T H E L A ST WOR D MAKING ANXIETY WORK BY ROBERT ROSEN A nxiety is a fact of life for HR executives. It comes from managing the human side of business and is heightened in today’s environment of unexpected and volatile change—economic, cultural and social. The most successful business leaders are ones who create “just enough anxiety” inside themselves and their organizations. Just enough is the level of anxiety that drives people forward without causing them to resist, give up or try to control what happens. More than any other factor, it powers leaders and their companies to the top. Too much anxiety, on the other hand, leads to chaos and confusion, lowers productivity and destroys morale. Too little anxiety drives organizations into complacency, preventing the innovation needed for maintaining competitive edge. Leaders who utilize just enough anxiety operate with an open mind and an open heart. They tell the truth, ask difﬁcult questions, admit mistakes and stay open to new ideas and ways of doing things. They are also open and compassionate with others and express their emotions in healthy ways. “You have to understand your own emotions,” says Arbitron chief administrative ofﬁcer and human resources executive Kathie Ross. “You need to express the whole range of emotions authentically and appropriately, including humour, which is enormously helpful in managing anxiety and helping people feel comfortable.” Leaders like Ross are adept at balancing opposing forces inside themselves and throughout their organizations because they act as a buffer for their people while pushing them to achieve. To ﬁnd the right balance of anxiety, you need to master three key leadership paradoxes: realistic optimism, constructive impatience and conﬁdent humility. Realistic optimism is the ability to tell the truth about the present while dreaming the future. When leaders do this, they are able to thrive in uncertainty while closing the gap between their current reality and desired future. They are able to heighten both their own focus and that of their organization, instill a sense of common purpose and create a clear mental image of success. Constructive impatience is the ability to build a positive, supportive environment while instilling in people a sense of urgency and a drive for results. By fostering people’s hunger to get ahead, they stretch employees’ capabilities while providing them with needed support. Conﬁdent humility is the ability to lead with both power and generosity. Leaders who exhibit conﬁdent humility are direct, practical and assertive, as well as intuitive, nurturing, creative and patient. They have mastered the human side of leadership, and this enables them to trust people, act with authority while sharing power, and build a strong leadership pipeline. Developing these qualities is the key to building a competitive human strategy while leading people through uncertainty and change. In turn, operating with “just enough anxiety” will enable leaders to optimize their company’s human capital and close the gaps created by change, between where your organization is today and where you want it to be tomorrow. Robert Rosen is CEO of Healthy Companies International and author of Just Enough Anxiety: The Hidden Driver of Business Success (Portfolio, March 2008). HR P R OF E S S I ON A L 58 A u g u s t / S e p t e m b e r 2 0 0 8 IL L US T R AT ION: C . JA F F É

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of HR Professional - August/September 2008

HR Professional - August/September 2008 Contents Editor's Letter Contributors Leadership Matters Upfront Legal Compensation Human Capital The New Frontier On Message Strategy HR 101 Interview with Annette Veschuren Talent Management Training Work/Life Balance Off the Shelf The Last Word

HR Professional - August/September 2008

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