Bring on the Drama! Why You Need Emotion in the Workplace

How many times have you heard that emotion has no place in the workplace?

I pondered that, thinking about how often we believe that every problem can be solved if we can only apply enough logic and keep our emotions out of the equation. I realized that it just is not true. In fact, in many cases, the opposite is true.

Emotion has everything to do with the success of your business. 

Take customer loyalty and brand advocacy. From a purely logical standpoint, they would only exist when high value and low price meet their optimum levels.

Logically, as customers, we would always shop for the best value for any item we want to buy. But once a business has successfully established and reinforced our satisfaction (this emotional - the way we feel that a company has exceeded our expectations) then, and only then, do they court our loyalty. Then and only then do they have a chance to win our loyalty in a way that transcends the lure of lower prices, better value or even better products offered by competitors.

But customer loyalty, referrals and brand advocacy are not based on logic. Customer satisfaction is based on a feeling. A customer must feel extra-ordinarily satisfied (which may or may not reflect the actual effort put forth by your business or employee). You can do everything perfectly and still not make someone feel that they received exceptional service.

Do you want your employees to be able to evoke emotion in the form of customer satisfaction?

Logically, the livelihood and financial success (not to mention the potential for raises and bonuses) for all your employees rests on the ability of your business to identify and attract customers and for your business to create customer loyalty and satisfaction—yes?

And yet in most businesses, despite the logic of this financial incentive, fewer than a third of employees feel (emotionally) engaged with or self-identify with your business.

Logically, your employees should be busting their butts to get your customers more emotionally connected with your business. 

But they aren’t. 

And since they aren't, you have to ask yourself:  what is missing (or present) within the culture of your business that is failing to motivate your employees—who logically should be doing everything they can to work for business success that could translate into more financial reward for themselves.

What is it about your business that is failing to attract and engage your employees emotionally? 

To develop customer loyalty or employee fidelity, you must work logically, strategically and authentically within the realm of emotions to:

• cause people to view themselves as a connected to your business (and to you, as its leader)
• go beyond logical reasons; you must realize that loyalty is an emotional response
• garner the faith of others based on history and trust in the promises that you make relative to what customers or employees can expect to be true of all of their experiences with you and your business

Only by understanding the role that emotions play relative to employee or customer loyalty will you be able to create the type of emotional connection needed to cause employees to go beyond the call of duty (and in turn to garner customer loyalty) on behalf of the team as a whole. And only by building an employee culture characterized by trust, honesty and a sense of shared destiny will this occur.

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(Speaking of emotion, I'm so excited!)   'There's no room for emotion in the workplace' is one of the new Little White Marketing Lies that will be featured in my upcoming book of the same title - look for an announcement next week! 

Elizabeth Kraus is the author of 365 Days of Marketing.
365 Days of Marketing is available on amazon.com or save $5 off the list price when you use the Code USH9VPJG and purchase on my site at 12monthsofmarketing.net.