I often ask at seminars what percentage of our decisions we make on the basis of emotions, and what % on logic.

In all areas of our lives

Over three years, the lowest figure I had was 60%, with most people going for 80% and higher

When I think about the world of Information Technology, I am naturally drawn to the more logical side of thinking and decision-making.

And then I think again.

Most decisions I made as an IT Directors were made more on emotion – I can never remember selecting a supplier based on logic, certainly not on the basis of their very large replies to our Invitations to Tender – no-one ever read those.

What I remember, is making decisions based on emotions, and then rushing in the logic behind the decision, to justify it after the event.

And that seems to be how we run our lives.

And if it’s true for us, it’s most definitely true for our people.

And then it happened again, a few weeks later

I once again asked the question:

My reason for raising this is to emphasise the role of emotion in our organisations, and that:

• People will only ever do something to the best of their ability for one reason, and one reason alone, and that is because they want to.
• The process driven initiatives of the last twenty years seem to have bypassed the fact that people have any emotion completely – resulting in a huge negative backlash.
• Many people say they are emotional at home, and logical at work.

So-called logical people will tell us that we only make emotional decisions outside of work, and that while inside a company people revert to making decisions based on the right thing to do, on logical conclusions. Presumably we all leave home in the morning, and as we say goodbye to our partners, children and cats, we hang up our personalities and feelings on the coat-rack, never to wear them again until we return!

Take a look around you as you are reading this – you are unlikely to see much emotion, I grant you, however it is entirely because people are suppressing their true and inner feelings. Isn’t that sad? Inside each and every one of us lie an awesome potential, a huge personality, and a real person, just waiting to be released. It is our inner feelings, our hearts, our very selves, that companies must engage on-side, if they are to thrive.

Hearts, minds and spirits are the key. When will business leaders realise that the secret of success is simple – harness, ignite and release the power of people?

An HR Director told me recently that when people join a company, they do so based on their apparent logical skills, abilities and what they can do, and when they leave, they do so because for emotional reasons, to do with who they are. If they are made redundant it is because of their personalities and ability to get along with others, if they resign it is because of an inner ambition unfulfilled.

We are all living, breathing, hotbeds with unique and sometimes extreme ideas and attitudes. That is either a curse or a blessing to your company – it is your choice.

Treat it as an unfortunate trait of your people, and those ideas, feelings and the excitement of being human will remain forever hidden.

Accept it and thrive on it, and you will awaken an energy, a force and giants that have been sleeping for perhaps too long.