There are two Inside Out movies, but I am going to cover them together. The main character, Riley, is full of emotions that include joy, sadness, anger, fear, disgust and embarrassment. When we look at a leadership theme that comes out of our emotions, it is not about controlling our emotions but instead understanding, integrating and leveraging them to guide our decisions and our relationships.
Joy is always optimistic and inspiring but cannot lead alone. As leaders, we cannot only focus on optimism but must be prepared to address challenges and vulnerability. True leadership is about acknowledging and balancing emotions. When Joy tries to suppress Sadness, Riley suffers and cannot connect with her parents.
Inside Out also teaches us that having our diversity of emotions is necessary to navigate challenges in life. One other big thing is change…no one likes to change but it is necessary to grow. Change can trigger different emotional responses and leaders need to recognize this to lead their teams through uncertainty.
The balance between optimism and empathy along with control and trust creates authentic leadership. Great leaders understand that emotions empower others.
