One of the earliest discoveries we made when researching the connection between company culture and performance was the importance of feelings.

What I found surprising was the general degree of uncertainty executives and senior leaders had with the concept of collecting and measuring feelings within the workplace. What I came to realize was there was a general misconception between feelings and emotions: many viewed them as one and the same.

Although related, they are different. Feelings are a primary way a workforce, and humans, in general, communicate their sense of well-being. It is a form of communication. Most physicians begin an annual exam by asking how the patient is feeling. Capturing how individuals within the workforce feel is no different. It is a way to determine well-being within the workplace.

Emotions, on the other hand, are the expression or result of feelings, which can manifest in the form of irrational, hostile, confrontational, or abusive behavior. Executives and senior leaders are encouraged to avoid emotional encounters in the workplace; and we agree. Beyond deescalating a situation, there is little value to be gained through emotions.

Feelings do provide value. The advantage of feelings is feelings can be measured and quantified. More importantly, feelings can be correlated or mapped to defined leadership behaviors that directly impact workplace performance, providing leaders the insights they need to proactively address challenges before they arise.

For example, leaders know stress and anxiety faced by their workforce at work and at home create distractions and disruptions that impact their performance. When these feelings are mapped to leadership behaviors that address anxiety and stress within the workplace, leaders are empowered with the information they need to proactively take action and minimize the impact of stress and anxiety.

By measuring feelings, leaders can address issues before they arise and impact performance and avoid feelings manifesting into emotions. Through feelings, leaders can avoid emotions.