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March 17, 2020 By Amanda Kaiser

When to Start Channeling Kermit the Frog

Why do emotions sometimes boil over in unattractive ways at work? A leadership expert explained it to me this way. Imagine that we all have an emotional bucket. Each time a little stressor happens, a little grape juice adds to the bucket. On fun days hiking with the family, there may just be a drop of grape juice in the bucket. On big, busy workdays heaped with anxiety, the bucket might get filled nearly to the top.

The problem is sometimes our buckets are full of grape juice, then one more thing happens, and another cup pours onto the bucket. The grape juice spills all over the place, irreparably staining everything around it.  When the grape juice overflows and starts staining things, we usually begin behaving in very anti-engaging ways. Perhaps we are curt to an attendee or say something to a member we wish we hadn’t.

When you start feeling that pressure, one tip is to think about channeling a person who behaves the way you aspire to act with your members. This person can be anyone you know, like a friend, co-worker, family member, or neighbor, or anyone you know about.

Pick the characteristics and people (frogs or sheep) who inspire you. Here are a few examples to get you started:

Steady – Phryne Fisher

Positive – Midge Maisel

Curious – Krista Tippett

Sweet – Kermit the Frog

Helpful – Shaun the Sheep

Nice – Oprah’s best friend, Gayle King

Related:

  • We urgently need time for introspection
  • Do you ever feel exhausted at the end of a long conference day?
  • We need to get better at decoupling our emotions from outcomes

Filed Under: Association Leadership Tagged With: aspire, behavior, culture, emotional support, member culture, member engagement, new member engagement

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