"There's a profound feeling that shifts us outside the box of the routine and familiar and opens us to something much larger than ourselves writes Homaira Kabir. We've all felt it -- the goose bumps on our arms when standing below towering Eucalyptus trees or the expansive feeling in our chests when watching the sun slowly set in the horizon. Researchers define it as the emotion of awe. Like most positive emotions, it boosts physical health and inspires altruistic action. And yet, awe is more -- because it recruits both motivations of the paradoxical human brain. It gives rise to a feeling of fear that is initiated in the more primitive parts of the brain. But it also opens us up to belonging to something much larger than the self, the most human of all needs. It is this whole brain functioning that is so essential for optimal performance, both in our personal lives and at work." Read on to discover why leaders would do well to nurture awe's daunting and exalting qualities in the workplace.
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