Audience-First? How About Energy-First: The Case for Smiling

January hit like a brick. Actually, a whole wall of them.

I had every intention of starting the year strong. I even had an article drafted—something smart, timely, and strategic about what’s in and out for 2025 in audience-first engagement.

And then, well, January happened.

The news cycle whirled, egg prices (argh), and navigating day-to-day life felt like trying to outrun a treadmill. Somewhere between the business of the New Year and the emotional exhaustion of, well, everything, that article started to feel irrelevant. It sat there, unfinished, like so many New Year’s resolutions. And for a while, I just felt... numb.

Then, in the midst of all this, a colleague said something that stopped me in my tracks: "MeShon, it's great to see you smile."

I didn’t know how to take it at first. Was I walking around looking stressed? (Probably.) Was this some coded professional feedback? (Also possible.) But the comment lingered. I kept turning it over in my mind, and like any introspective person, I couldn’t just let it go.

Because here’s the thing—when my mother smiled, it was magic. For me and my brothers, her smile wasn’t just an expression. It was light, warmth, and a full-body embrace without even touching us. It had the power to shift the energy in a room.

And that got me thinking: In a time when everything feels so heavy, what can a smile offer?

The Power of a Smile, Historically Speaking

Smiling has always been more than just an expression—it’s a form of resilience. James Baldwin once said, “You have to decide who you are and force the world to deal with you, not with its idea of you.” And sometimes, in that decision, a smile is part of the armor and the rebellion.

Black Americans have long wielded joy as an act of defiance. ?Zora Neale Hurston wrote, “I do not weep at the world—I am too busy sharpening my oyster knife.” There’s something deeply powerful about choosing joy, about holding onto light even when the world hands you darkness.

Smiling in the Workplace: A Professional Development Hack?

Let’s be clear: I’m not saying grin and bear it in the face of systemic issues. But there’s something to be said about the professional (and personal) benefits of leading with warmth.

Smiling isn’t just good vibes—it’s science. Studies show that people see you as more competent and trustworthy when you smile. It can smooth over awkward moments, calm tense conversations, and—wildly enough—trick your brain into feeling better. Even a fake smile can fire up those happy brain signals. And get this—a 2017 study in The Leadership Quarterly found that leaders who smile more are better at influencing others and bringing teams together.

In leadership, a well-placed smile can set the tone for a meeting, put a nervous colleague at ease, or remind a team that no matter how big the challenge, we’ve got this.

So, Where Do We Go From Here?

I’m not naive. A smile won’t bring down the cost of eggs or fix policies. But in a time when so much feels uncertain, I guess this is just a way of reminding myself that smiling isn’t about ignoring reality. It’s about choosing to show up fully, even when the world feels heavy.

And if my mother’s smile could change the energy of a room, maybe mine—and yours—can do the same.

Stay encouraged.