In the world of business, emotions are often viewed as a weakness, particularly when it comes to women. In this insightful blog full of shocking statistics, brilliant insights, and great advice, Lisa Thompson tells us why she believes embracing your emotions is beneficial for everyone, and for the bottom line.

Lisa Thompson, Bloom North President & Business Director at Wavemaker North

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Full disclosure, I am a bit emotional, and long time I fought against this. I thought to succeed; I needed to remove the emotion from my work self to achieve. However, I now know I am better at work and in life when I don't fight against this. I present better, manage people better, and am a better team player. I am a better strategist because I can use my empathy to understand audiences and clients. I know when I show my vulnerability, I am better. Yes, I have learnt to manage my mental well-being better and don't cry as frequently as I did, but now I don't hide from my emotion. And this isn't just true of me; a Harvard Business Review states that when people are willing to be authentic (and vulnerable) at work, they're also more willing to take creative risks. In our industry, this is just good for business.

Jacinda Arden, one of my biggest girl crushes has talked about this. In one interview, she states:

'One of the criticisms I've faced over the years is that I'm not aggressive enough or assertive enough, or maybe somehow, because I'm empathetic, it means I'm weak. I totally rebel against that. I refuse to believe you cannot be compassionate and strong.'

And there could never be a more accurate statement. And let's be honest, when we look at Jacinda's achievements, we all wish we had this empathy in the UK.

As president of Bloom North, one of my favourite things about our girl squad is that we have created programmes that make it okay to talk about how we feel, whether via mentoring or at our events, where we discuss the emotional toil of menopause or fertility treatment. The powerful displays of raw emotion at these events are helping our industry be more human. It allows our network to feel more comfortable and display their feelings in other settings. So this International Women's day, let's embrace the fact that women often are more openly emotional and empathetic because if we do, we may have a more human workforce. And hey, let's embrace that sometimes a cry is exactly what you need.

 

Thank you so much, Lisa!

To find out more about our brilliant partners at Bloom North, just click here.

 

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