Scott Watson walks through a two-minute exercise to understand what triggers you. List behaviors that set you off, then write the story you tell yourself when they happen. Once you see the pattern, you can pause instead of reacting automatically.
Feeling triggered doesn't make you weak, it makes you human. Not knowing them, now that's a leadership risk. Here's a 2-minute exercise that builds next-level self-awareness for you. Grab a pen, write this question at the top: What kind of behaviours from others really trigger me? What kind of behaviours from others really trigger me? Think things such as interruptions, Passive aggression, poor preparation, crazy deadlines that you know can't be met, but you agree to them anyway. It could be anything. So list at least 3, but go up to 5 if you wish. Then ask yourself, for each of these, what story do I tell myself when I experience this? When you are feeling triggered, what story? You'll uncover your inner scripts, and guess what? They're running the show more than you think, because your brain can't think of everything. Once you see the trigger-story combination, you can interrupt it, you can pause it, you can regain control, you can respond with ability, and that means fewer trigger situations. You choose how you show up as a leader, and this is how you can create greater self-awareness on how you can respond with ability and manage the gap between the stimulus and the response. So triggers aren't the enemy, just develop a coping mechanism so you can own them and lead better.
Emotional Intelligence Training for Managers | The Hidden Cost of Low Self Awareness
