Home / Resources / Resilience Skills : The effect of impulse control in the workplace

Resilience Skills : The effect of impulse control in the workplace

 

Consider the following two descriptions of management personalities as observed by their subordinates –

John is a senior manager responsible for eight department heads and ultimately over 120 staff. When asked, not one of them could remember a time when John was anything less than composed. Everyone felt able to approach him and when asked for advice about an operational problem or personnel issue, he would never give an immediate answer but always come back to discuss his recommended solution within a short time. Even though the business went through many high pressure moments, no-one could recollect John flying off the handle, and indeed, it was highlighted that if he had any criticisms they were never aired in public at the time of the event but in his office in a calm and composed manner at some point afterwards.

Gordon is a general manager responsible for running a venue with a deputy, six heads of department and almost 100 permanent and casual staff. It was hard to find a member of staff who spoke positively about him as he seemed to be regarded with little trust or respect. The more junior members said they feared him and tried not to cross his path. His heads of department found meetings with him challenging as he had problems controlling his anger, got frustrated very easily and his behaviour was unpredictable and explosive. Many described incidents when items off his desk were thrown across the office after a piece of news which particularly displeased him had been delivered. They described him as someone who would jump to conclusions before he had heard the whole situation and they dreaded opening their inboxes as he would rattle off emotionally charged emails and was always impatient for updates of ongoing situations.

Although the two characters described above are fictional, they display the characteristics of someone, firstly with high impulse control and secondly, with low impulse control. Many of us will have experience of working with and for such individuals and the two extremes illustrate how important impulse control is in the workplace.

Thankfully, you can learn to manage your impulses and here are a few tips you may like to consider:

  • Create awareness – think about your impulses and those which potentially cause problems, or ask someone close to you, and then think about situations which each impulse could affect
  • Plan of action – develop a problem solving action plan which you can use to manage them e.g. if you’re prone to sending emails immediately after a heated exchange, keep away from your inbox and go for a walk round the block, using one of the delayed action suggestions below, until your immediate emotional reaction has calmed down and you have given yourself some time to think clearly and logically
  • Delay action – if you can concentrate on your breathing, repeating a word or counting, you can overcome the impulse with distraction and time
  • Act mindfully – notice your impulses without attaching or acting on them
  • Ask someone you trust – a colleague, family member or friend – for regular feedback

Don’t expect your behaviour to change overnight, but do keep working on it, behavioural change will come with practice and you may like to keep in mind the words of Flower A. Newhouse –

“Lack of will power has caused more failure than lack of intelligence or ability”

This is one of a series of articles on aspects of resilience. You can access them all from this post Resilience Skills: An A-Z of definitions of the terms used.

Recent articles on our blog....

A plate with 3 prettily decorated individual apple pies with a further one sitting on a tiny plate in the foreground.

They may not be apple or key lime, but Ted Pies can really help your communication skills

March 22, 2024

In this article, we include a visual illustrating what the acronym Ted Pies stands for and look at how it can be used to benefit workplace wellbeing.

Read More →
The word newsletter printed on white paper inserted into a selection of brightly coloured envelopes

Winter newsletter has tips to boost workplace wellbeing

February 13, 2024

The latest edition of our quarterly newsletter aims to boost workplace wellbeing with tips, resources and a story to warm your heart.

Read More →
Blurred image of a suited male pointing at exclamation mark hologram for overcoming culture of false urgency tip

Tips for overcoming a culture of false urgency at work

February 8, 2024

For our latest wellbeing at work tip, we look at some signs that a culture of false urgency may exist followed by suggested tips to overcome it for individuals, managers and team leaders.

Read More →

Testimonials

ineq-about-us-150x150

Our purpose is to provide training and consultancy services to enhance resilience, health and wellbeing in the workplace.

ineq-ethos-values-150x150

Differentiation is one of the most strategic and tactical activities in which companies most constantly engage

ineq-faqs-150x150

It's natural to have questions about training and how it fits with your organisation. Our FAQs can help you find out more.

ineq-case-studies-150x150

View case studies for some of the in-house training courses we have delivered to different types of organisations across the UK.