6 emotions that drive real business growth (if you listen to them)

Welcome to a free edition of Start Up To Grown Up: Your source for ideas, insights and tactics to take back control of your business and scale it sustainably and profitably by Heather Townsend, award-winning author of The Accountants’ Millionaires’ Club and Founder of The Accountants’ Growth ClubI saw the topic, and was bored.Not another *** session on goal setting. I must have lost count of how many goal setting sessions I’ve delivered over the last 25 years.But there I was, delivering yet another goal-setting session - one that had to be fresh and impactful, both for me and the small business owners in the room. No pressure then. And definitely no regurgitation of SMART goals. After all, who has ever been motivated after writing a SMART goal?Traditional goal setting has a fundamental flaw. It requires you to be in a sound state of mind and relaxed so that you can properly identify what you really want. In reality, most small business owners do not have ‘sound’ minds all the time; our mental state is shaped by our experiences, particularly the recent years. And neither are we good at doing the ‘relax’ bit.With this in mind I thought there has to be another way to surface a business owners’ passions and desires. Even if they are well hidden after a few years of being battered and broken.How your brain works: The Elephant and the Rider analogyHaidt, a psychologist, popularised the Elephant and Rider model¹ to explain simply how your brain works. Imagine your mind as an elephant (the emotional, subconscious part) with a rider perched atop (the rational, conscious part). The rider might believe they’re in control, but it’s the elephant’s sheer size and power that truly dictates the journey. Ignoring the elephant’s inclinations typically is fruitless. After all, if an elephant decides it is going in one direction, then regardless of what the rider wants the elephant is going in that direction. When your elephant is in the driving seat it gives you the energy to keep on going, even when stuff is tough. Research in behavioural psychology suggests that emotions play a fundamental role in decision-making and motivation². By acknowledging and aligning with your emotional "elephant," you can set goals that resonate deeply, ensuring both parts of your mind work harmoniously.Given that our emotions actually dictate our decision making, it then makes sense to really examine our emotions to see what messages they are giving us. Then use these insights to set personal and professional goals that really align with your emotions.This short podcast explores 6 emotions that you can use to tap into what you really want and set goals that you are motivated to achieve.If you have found this podcast useful please press subscribe. New episodes are published each week. References¹ Haidt, J. (2006). The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom. Basic Books.² Damasio, A. R. (1994). Descartes’ Error: Emotion, Reason, and the Human Brain. G.P. Putnam’s Sons. Get full access to Start Up To Grown Up at startuptogrownup.substack.com/subscribe