Fast Company Feature: CEO LIKE A MOTHER

My jaw dropped in disbelief.  I sat wide-eyed across the table as the leader of a prominent company spiraled into an outright tantrum. Our organizations were collaborating on a large-scale project. It was not going well. Fists clenched and red faced, he hurled one irrational comment after another. His persistent obstinacy was stalling any rational conversation.

Then, it occurred to me. I’d seen this kind of behavior before—from my 3-year-old kid. From there, it seemed to make sense to try a similar approach that I would use to calm my child’s tantrum. If anything, it couldn’t make things any worse. So, I gave it a try. “It appears you’re upset,” I said, interrupting the executive’s fit. “Let’s hit the pause button for a second. Is there something you’d like to be heard about?”  

With a heavy sigh, he nodded “yes” and relaxed his shoulders. “Actually, there is. I should have been consulted on the last key decision.”

There it is, I thought to myself. I asked him to tell me more. And as the words tumbled out of his mouth, I read between the lines and understood that his ego had taken a hit. Once he felt heard, we were able to move the conversation forward.

In short, my tantrum-diffusing tactic worked like a charm. I began to contemplate what other motherhood skills I could leverage in business. It turns out, there are many. Raising children is a training ground for running a successful business. I’ll share five game-changing principles to take on a CEO role—like a mom.

Read the full article at Fast Company.