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Leaders Live in the Spotlight

Guest post by: David Liddell

Article Overview: Leaders' actions,reactions, amd moods are being carefully monitored by the employees around them. Your level of responsibility to maintain a positive attitude and tone.

Leaders Live in the Spotlight

This is not meant literally however leaders throughout every organization should realize that their actions, reactions, and moods are all being carefully monitored by the employees around them. This is their natural way of sensing underlying organizational trends, issues, and the workplace climate. So, as a leader, does this mean you are required to be in a good mood every minute of the day? Well..... Yes, at least most of time. With your position of authority and privilege comes a certain level of responsibility and duty to maintain a positive tone; especially when economic times are not optimal.

Research cited by Daniel Goleman in a Harvard Business Review article called "Leadership That Gets Results" states that as much as 30% of a company's financial results (i.e. revenue, growth, efficiency and profitability) are determined by the climate of the organization.

What are the major contributors that affect the climate of an organization? According to Daniel Goleman (Author: Primal Leadership: Realizing the Power of Emotional Intelligence) it is the leader. According to Goleman approximately 50-70% of how employees perceive their organization's climate is based on the behaviors and actions of their leader. The leaders create the environment that governs employee's moods at the office and their mood, in turn, affects their productivity and level of engagement.

The key is achieving the consistent, emotionally intelligent leadership behaviors that breed success in you and others. Here are a few suggestions to consider that can improve your and your team's performance:

1. Self-Check
   
   Start your day knowing what challenges you can expect to face, your state of mind (mental preparation), key objectives, and the corresponding tone required to effectively execute and deliver.
2. Tune-In
   
   Evaluate the workplace climate for tempo, stress, momentum and other unique (to your organization) indicators that could derail workplace success. Can you accurately sense what the emotional atmosphere is? Is it upbeat? Is it energized? Is it down or dejected? Do people seem slightly apprehensive and somewhat cautious in your presence?
3. Identify Your Allies
   
   It takes only one difficult personality to spoil a thriving work environment and it can spread quickly. Identify and encourage those who demonstrate the right behaviors. Top producers typically receive most of the accolades but often they are also the spoilers as well. Hold your standards high and make few exceptions.
4. Be Approachable
   
   This does not come naturally to everybody. Normal workplace pressures and stress can cause temperament havoc for anybody. Whether it is shutting people out or being short tempered, it has a direct impact on the day's mood. Mind your body language, take time to listen, and consider new ideas, and thank people for their hard work.
5. Set Meeting Tone
   
   Meetings can often serve as a sub-biosphere of your company's culture. Consider your behavior in meetings. Do you set a positive tone right from the start? Or do you set the pace based on how you feel at the moment? Aim for a calm, relaxed mood, and a consistent, positive approach.
6. Manage Change
   
   One of the most significant culprits of workplace stress is change. About 40% of your employees struggle with it and this finds its way into other aspects of your business. Research indicates that if the resistance to change is emotional, it is the hardest form of resistance to overcome. As the leader handling a change initiative, don't avoid the emotions that accompany the change process. Set the mood and manage the emotions - or they will manage you.

Refine your intuitive ability, and "listen to your gut" that hint to you that something in your behavior and actions on bad days is causing a ripple effect on others. As the leader, you have in your hand the switch that can control the intensity of engagement of the people who do the work in your organization. It's like being a conductor of an orchestra - one wave of your hand can change the entire tempo and mood.

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Article Tags: leadership, positive attitude, responsibilty, up beat moods



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