At the Columbia University M.S. in Human Capital Management program, we believe that faculty development is critical to the development of our students. At a recent faculty meeting, we were privileged to hear from Peter Bregman, CEO of Bregman Partners, an executive coaching company that "helps successful people become exceptional leaders and stellar human beings."
Peter taught us that, while most people react to situations and produce outcomes, successful leaders first identify the outcomes they want to produce and then manage their reactions to achieve their goals. Going further, Peter explained that we also tend to try to avoid negative feelings, which prevents us from taking necessary action. It takes "Leading with Emotional Courage" (the title of Peter's 2018 book) to overcome our hesitation, engage others and drive results.
To test our own Emotional Courage, the session included a Zoom dance, with faculty representing more than a combined 200 years of industry experience and multiple advanced degrees, dancing on screen. OK, we may have felt a little funny and certainly looked the part but, as Peter says, “If you are willing to feel EVERYTHING you can do ANYTHING!” We are certainly willing to try.
