Emotions are like London buses. You can’t see any on the horizon, then several show up all at once.

And that can be overwhelming.

Where To Start?

But even if you focus on one, the others are also offering opportunities to take you somewhere. It’s your choice which you step into and explore further.

You might start with the first you’re aware of.

Maybe it’s a powerful, easily identifiable emotion, such as anger. You’re probably pretty clued into the reaction that emotion can provoke in you – and why you’re feeling angry.

But there are probably less evident emotions you’re feeling – emotions that are asking for your attention and trying to direct your focus on something else that matters to you.

It’s Time To Explore

In a recent session on leading teams, we touched on the topic of bias – both the scenarios where people had displayed bias and when they had been on the receiving end of bias.

How might being on the receiving end of bias impact you?

Like many people in such a situation, maybe you’d experience a sense of frustration (a less intense variant of anger  – and the emotion people experience most at work – indeed, 10x more than any other).

The data that emotion might reveal is the unfairness of the bias, the annoyance at not being given an opportunity, or the impact this decision might have on the ultimate success of the project.

Further reflection might reveal some resentment.

The data in the resentment might relate to the perceived pattern of being overlooked, the lack of influence or power you feel, or even resentment towards yourself for not having spoken up about this in the past.

You might then register some level of worry.

Nervousness that their team will lose respect for you, anxiety that team members will move out – or worry that you won’t progress as you had hoped in your career.

You might identify more emotions – maybe envy – if the plum projects are routinely directed towards the same individual.

What Route to Take?

And once you’ve identified all the different emotions and what they’re alerting you to, you can decide the best way forward.

In this situation, in what way can you use your insights to make the best possible decision?

What action, whether it be doing something different, thinking something different, or shifting energy to feel something different – is it important for you to take?

Navigating Emotions

Here’s where you might trip up.

After you’ve determined the right way forward, you might notice a whole new stream of emotions popping up – the emotions that accompany the ‘what ifs’ in your decision. What if other people don’t agree? What if the boss says no? What if I mess up?

It requires you to repeat the process:

• What are you feeling? How is that emotion trying to direct your attention?
• What else are you feeling? What is that emotion trying to tell you?

Now, how do you want to use that insight to craft your road ahead?

This process might sound that it takes as long as it takes a London bus to complete its route.

Emotions don’t run on a timetable — but you can learn to navigate the route. All you need is the willingness to board. But the more you practice – the faster you become – which is where the comparison with a London bus ends.