No Hard Feelings: The Secret Power of Embracing Emotions at Work

According to this kind, empathetic book, most people wildly underestimate the impact their emotions have on their workdays and careers. Marketing and design consultant Fosslien and organizational designer Duffy offer a guide to managing emotions at the workplace, exploring the ways that emotion affects each of seven central aspects of work: health, motivation, decision making, teamwork, communication, culture, and leadership. Modern work life requires the ability to understand and manage emotions at the office, but many have never learned how to do this, the authors write. Using clever, sometimes counterintuitive advice—e.g., “Be less passionate about your job”—and sweet, funny cartoons (one depicts “the little engine that literally couldn’t even”), Fosslien and Duffy guide readers through learning to incorporate their emotions into their work, and being mindful of timing, context, and delivery in their careers. This is an encouraging, thorough guide for those trying to manage being human beings in workplaces not always designed for them. (Jan.)