The Leaders Mood
By Rehan Khan
25-05-2024
I’ve seen it and I’m sure you have - when the boss is in a foul mood, it percolates throughout the organization, and if they are in a good mood, this has the reverse effect.
Psychologist Marcial Losada, through detailed mathematical modelling has shown that 2.9013 is the ratio of positive to negative interactions required to make a corporate team successful. In others words it requires about three positive comments, experiences, or expressions to ward off the corrosive effects of one negative one. Anything below this will result in performance tanking, whilst teams perform at their best when the ration is 6 to 1.
Losada conducted several field studies and for one mining company, which was suffering process losses greater than 10 percent, the ratio was 1.15. He instructed team leaders to provide more positive feedback and encouragement which saw the average ratio increase to 3.56 – the result, the firm made significant improvements in production, improving performance by over 40 percent.
If you as a leader want to boost the mood of your employees, you first need to boost your own mood. To do so, you can try several practical approaches:
Ponder and reflect. Slow down, take time to reflect and if you have a meditation practice in the tradition you come from, try and develop this. There is enough neurological evidence available to show that regular meditation practice rewires the brain, strengthening neural connections, lowering stress levels and improving immunity.
Anticipate the joy of an upcoming activity. Researchers found that subjects endorphin levels increased by 27 percent when they just thought about watching their favourite film. When you think about something you are looking forward to - an upcoming holiday, a meal out with friends, a visit to see family, it boosts your mood.
Show kindness. Several studies have shown that when we are kind to friends and strangers, this decreases stress and improves mental well-being. Sonja Lyubomirsky, author of The How of Happiness, documents that individuals told to complete five acts of kindness over the course of a day report feeling much happier than control groups and that the feeling lasts for several days.
Step outside. Researchers in one study found that even 20 minutes spent outside in good weather boosts positive mood, broadens thinking and improves working memory. Encourage employees to step out of the office, it will help to boost performance. And definitely avoid lunches at the desk.
Avoid negativity. Ask yourself whether you really need to watch all of the doom and gloom on television. Studies show we are far happier when we avoid television in general and violent programs in particular. Psychologists suggest that people who watch less television have a better sense of life’s risks and rewards than those who watch crime programs, tragedy, and death. They explain this by saying that the abstainers are less likely to view one-sided sensationalized information, and so have a clearer grasp of reality.
Enjoy experiences. Positive feelings from material objects are fleeting, so contends Robert Frank in his book Luxury Fever. However, when we spend money on experiences, particularly involving other people it produces more positive meaningful and lasting emotions. In one study researchers reported that people who spent money on experiences with others, such as concerts or group dinners, found far more pleasure from these activities than they did from material purchases like clothes, electronics, or expensive watches.
Remember your mood at work affects the mood of others around you and so impacts the profitability of the organization, as well as its culture.
