Inc.com - Marketing

Like it or not, emotions are a big part of leadership. Here's how to deal with them--without becoming your team's therapist.

I once had a coaching client express her frustration with the inability of a senior team to get behind a plan and get moving. The client was a good leader with a good team. But the organization’s growth, its pace of change, and uncertainty about its future had led to a series of false starts. The CEO was exasperated and asked, essentially, “What is it that the team does not get?”

While the team may have intellectually “got it” about the new plan, their collective emotions did not. Eventually, the CEO had a powerful insight: It takes a large heart to be a good leader.

If leadership is mainly engaged in human relations, then leadership, at its core, is largely about emotions. Leaders would do well to reflect on the emotionality of leadership, especially during challenging situations and periods of self-doubt. Here are three factors to consider.

1. A leader is an emotional container for the group

Psychology refers to a “container” as a safe situation in which issues and problems can be examined and worked through without the participants being damaged, punished, or “burned.” (Walter Isaacs at MIT has researched this container state and writes persuasively about its nuances.) Practically speaking, a container is the time and place when people come together for conversation.

If you want to encourage honest feedback, direct discussion, conflict resolution, and clear decisions, you must create and maintain an environment for this to occur. That’s the leader’s responsibility.

As a leader, you must welcome the differing perspectives and intense debate that strong teams will generate. If you stifle this discussion and passion, you risk losing great ideas and you may “burn” people just at the moment they need to feel safe to express a contrarian point of view. Many leaders unwittingly inflict this damage because of a need to be right, or a need to be seen as being right, which shuts down the voices of others.

Second, a leader who understands this container dynamic will be much more attuned to the emotions that can disrupt a team, such as uncertainty, distress, anxiety, and fear of the future. This awareness allows a leader to have a direct discussion about these very natural reactions to challenges and change.

I am not suggesting that a leader play therapist. Quite the opposite. There is a tremendous difference between diving into the emotionality of others by trying to provide solutions, and being aware of these emotions in order to address them productively. Leaders sometimes avoid the latter because they are afraid of the former.

2. A Leader must have a personal emotional container

As a leader, how do you productively address the emotions of others? By addressing your own first.

A leader must have a personal emotional container—a safe setting--in order to safely work through fears, doubts, and uncertainties. Using the group container as a model, you need a time and place to discuss your own emotions and reactions to them. Start by having an ongoing, honest discussion with yourself. Then enlist the help of a coach, mentor, or very good friend who does not have a vested interest in your leadership.

By creating a dedicated space to focus on these deeply personal issues, rather than let them run roughshod over your leadership, you’ll put yourself in a better position to be emotionally healthy and to attend to the emotional needs of others, when appropriate.

3. Ignore emotions at your peril

The client I mentioned above came to realize that she was split: Half of her was uncertain about how to investigate emotional issues. The other half simply did not want to have to do this work. She wondered, “Why should I have to work on their emotional state?”

Of course, the answer is that she did not have to, and neither do you. But that does not alter the fact that emotional issues are real and ever-present.

If you neglect to proactively address emotional issues with your team, you lose a powerful opportunity to strengthen the shared purpose of the group. And if you actively resist the influence of emotions by shutting down or avoiding these conversations, people will be disinclined to tell you the truth.

The importance of emotions at work is a growing topic, especially among innovative companies.

Chip Conley, Founder of Joie de Vivre Hotels, has spoken of the CEO as the "Chief Emotions Officer" with responsibility for the emotional health of the organization. This is a useful perspective for every organization, and it is made possible by the emotional health of leaders.

An estimated $53 billion will be spent on pets this year. Good thing entrepreneur Lori Weiner's pet hotel specializes in fancy pet services.

Lori Weiner raises and handles show dogs. In her 15-year career, she has shown Afghan hounds, borzoi, and two types of greyhounds—over 18 dogs in all—at thousands of shows in the U.S. and Canada.

So when Weiner thought of starting a business, she decided to go with her passion: pet care.

In February 2011, Weiner launched The Pet Hotel at Barkingham Palace, a Palm Desert, California-based boutique boarding and grooming place for dogs, cats, and birds.

Everything is upscale, from the treatments offered in the wellness spa (hydrating masks and blueberry facials) to the lavish twin beds in the dog suites. If a dog arrives stressed out for their stay, it will be given a massage with pure-grade essential oils.

“It had to be good enough for me to put my own dogs in,” she says. “So we put in the full-size beds and everything they would have at home.”

The suites include televisions (on the Animal Planet channel, of course), and webcams for their owners to check in. Weiner’s boarding facility has 38 suites in varying levels of luxury for dogs, as well as large birdcages and cat condos.

There’s even a doggy gym.

Weiner is one of many business owners cashing in on this niche industry. Pet owners are expected to spend $52.87 billion on their pets this year, according to the American Pet Products Association. It’s expected $4.11 billion will go toward grooming and boarding, as the demand for luxury accommodations and treatments grows.

But it's not an industry without some fierce competition.

The number of pet grooming and boarding businesses has grown 2.6 percent on average per year from 2009 to 2012, resulting in a projected 78,034 enterprises open for business this year, with pet yoga centers and puppy spas among them.

The number of pet grooming and boarding businesses has grown 2.6 percent on average per year from 2009 to 2012, resulting in a projected 78,034 enterprises open for business this year.

Weiner's start-up brought in $220,000 in revenue last year. Weiner anticipates making at least $500,000 in the next year. Though she typically gets new customers via foot traffic or advertising, Weiner's recent partnership with a neighboring Westin Hotel & Resort is also adding to her client list.

Although luxury-boarding accommodations are becoming increasingly popular in the pet care industry, Weiner’s Barkingham Palace is expanding beyond this niche. An 8,000-square-foot dog park/water park is in the works, as well as a 10,000-square-foot agility field. According to Weiner—who considers herself an expert on canines and competition—agility is one of the fastest growing sports for dogs.

“We kind of bend over backwards for people,” Weiner says, “And people are surprised because we’re so accommodating, but I have staff here 24/7."

Weiner currently has 12 employees rotating day and night shifts. Her business doesn't offer veterinary care (but there’s a vet on call 24/7) or online sales. She will also plan your dog's wedding or birthday party, but she hasn't had any takers just yet.

An estimated $53 billion will be spent on pets this year. This is just one reason that the pet care industry is ripe for starting a business. Here are a few more reasons.

Dogs (and cats) have long been man's best friend, and these days, they're full-fledged members of the family. Pet owners dote on their feline and canine "children" with deluxe hotel suites, wading pools, and in-home grooming services. Forget about old-fashioned kennels; today, pet owners take their companions for massages and psychotherapy. And with 62 percent of U.S. households owning a pet (that's about 72.9 million homes), the American Pet Products Association estimates the pet care industry will rake in a staggering $52.87 billion in 2012.

The pet care industry is comprised of retail pet stores, groomers and boarders, and sales from online suppliers (we didn't include vet care, because we consider it to be a profession much like that of doctors and dentists). Surprisingly, the growth in this industry can't be attributed to increasing disposable incomes. According to industry research firm IBISWorld, consumers consider spending on their pets to be crucial. So pet owners are more likely to sacrifice nice cuts of meat for themselves, for a better bag of kibble.

According to IBISWorld, the pet grooming and boarding sector has seen steady revenue growth over the past five years of 4.1 percent and is expected to see another five years of annualized growth of 5.4 percent. By the end of 2012, the APPA expects pet grooming and boarding to account for $4.11 billion in pet spending in the U.S.

Over the past three years, 17,000 jobs have been added, with another 33,031 more jobs expected in the next three years, according to IBISWorld. The industry is expected to house 95,246 enterprises by the end of 2012. Pet groomers and boarders are expected to be the most profitable pet-related businesses in 2012, with average margins of about 7.9 percent.

While the barriers to entry are rather standard, there are a few unique to the industry. If you want to start a grooming service, there are certification and licensing requirements that vary per state for groomers. Also, if you are running a boarding service, having a veternarian on staff isn't a bad idea either, but will likely be a costly asset.

See more Business Opportunities by Industry in 2012

Over 62 percent of U.S. households own a pet and an estimated $53 billion will be spent on pets in 2012. In Laymen's terms: The market is huge. Want to know more? Here are some of the best businesses to consider starting up in this booming industry.

Over 62 percent of U.S. households own a pet and an estimated $53 billion will be spent on pets in 2012. In Laymen's terms: The market is huge. Want to know more? Here are some of the best businesses to consider starting up in this booming industry.

Grooming businesses have seen strong growth in the pet care industry. Traveling groomers and high-end grooming businesses offer services such as massages. Take notes from a Texas-based company called Chris Christensen Systems, a $4 million business that creates beauty products for show dogs, including texturizing shears, a doggie blow dryer, and various types of shampoos and sprays.

Forget kennels— pet "suites" are the new black. Check out The Pet Hotel at Barkingham Palace. This California-based boarding facility is also a wellness spa. Pets get all-star treatment and pooches can spend the night in suites with couches and TVs. This hotel even offers hydrating masks, massages, warm water pool therapy, and training classes. Owners can watch their dogs rest and play via webcam.

When it comes to pets, there is a massive opportunity in the online retail space. Though the big box chains can offer discount deals, there is an an opportunity for smaller outfits to offer boutique products and services. Check out Etsy, where there are over 6,000 shops that sell “gifts for pets.” If you want more ideas, put yourself in a pet owners shoes: Many search online for necessities like pet medicine. What could you offer?

Brick-and-mortar retail pet stores are also booming-- but competition is big. Giants like PetSmart have offerings across the industry, and even Walmart is starting to host pet grooming salons. But here's an idea to get around it. Check out Beasty Feast in New York, which provides customers with a more personalized experience. Try focusing on specialty and higher-end luxury items and services.

The eco-friendly and organic trends are also gaining traction in the pet world. Check out Dog Gone Smart, which uses nanotechnology to create stain repelling and bacteria resistant dog jackets. The company also makes 100 percent biodegradable beds. For feline friends, Imperial Cat has created scratch toys in over 80 creative shapes that are 100 percent recyclable and biodegradable, and come with “Certified Organic Catnip.” Organic pet foods are also becoming increasingly popular.

If you're tech savvy, pet apps might be your thing. Check out these apps for pet health and training. Another pet tech that’s making waves is DogTV—a channel programmed for your pet.

With cremation and burial options, as well as pet cemeteries in many states, pet funerals help owners say goodbye and deal with the grief of losing a close companion. Take a gander at Shugart’s Deceased Pet Care Funeral Home in Georgia. The company lets owners chose a burial garden, casket, and memorialize their pet on its site with a photo and story. Read more about the pet care industry. --Caitlin Berens