Breaking the Cycle: How Leaders Shape Morale

Several years ago, I was leading a major culture transformation effort that experienced wild swings in results from one day to the next. We had great days when we could see the light at the end of the tunnel, and other days when we would lose hope that things would ever get better.

The story had a very happy ending ultimately, but in the midst of our struggles, the mood of the people was also highly variable, depending on what was going on at the time. Naturally, some days, as I did my walk-through to check in with people, they were excited about the bright future we had declared and were working hard to create it. On other days, they seemed to be completely defeated and hopeless.

I attributed this variation to the uncertain state of affairs and tried to do my best to lift people up. Unfortunately, I wasn’t making much progress, until I had an important realization: I was the one who was causing people to lose their enthusiasm. Their enthusiasm and sadly their hopelessness were merely a reflection of what they saw in me. If I seemed genuinely excited about the future, they showed up as energized and hopeful, and if I approached them with what they perceived as worry or despair, they mirrored that sentiment.

As I became aware that this was going on, I began to pay more attention to how I was showing up and the energy I brought into the space, and that made all the difference. Please note, however, I didn’t start faking it by pretending to be happy all the time. Even if I had, people would have easily picked up on that and seen right through me. Rather, I simply paid attention to the effect I was having on people and if I was ever concerned about something, I took steps to deal with it so it wouldn’t affect me subconsciously.

For the most part, what affects people’s state in the present moment is not so much what has happened in the past, but the fact that they project their negative experiences into the future and begin living into it as a self-fulfilling prophecy. Our responsibility as leaders is to create a vision of an empowering and energizing future and reinforce it through everything that we say and do. That way, that vision eventually becomes a stronger force in shaping the future than the baggage everyone carries from the past.

What are you saying and doing to shape the future and create enthusiasm and excitement in your organization?

If there are topics you find to be of special value to you, or if you’d just like to get in touch and chat about what’s going on with you, simply reply to this newsletter or send me an email at?[email protected] .?If you’re experiencing challenges that you would like my perspective on, or you’d like to explore how we can partner with you to support you in your transformative journey, please?click here ?to schedule a call with me.?I’d love to hear from you.

How to Motivate Your Team When You Don’t Feel Motivated Yourself

It is not easy to always feel motivated enough to get out and motivate others. As leaders, there are a few common thought processes that we struggle with that threaten to sabotage our progress. We often feel like throwing in the towel because we think we aren’t good enough or that we don't make a difference anyway. We let circumstances or events, rather than our commitment, determine how we feel and act on our emotions. We overcomplicate things, look for evidence that things are completely out of hand, and try to justify not getting into action to motivate our teams to go for something extraordinary.

The good news is that by recognizing these thought patterns and being intentional about adopting different thought processes, we can energize our team even when we are not feeling energized ourselves. Ultimately, we can behave our way into a new way of thinking and feeling.

Get in touch!

What have you noticed about the culture, and especially the language, of your workplace? Is it empowering or defeating? Is it self-focused or others-focused? Are others aware of it, or has it gone unnoticed by most? Have you been able to make a clear connection between the language, culture, results, and morale, or is the connection still a little fuzzy for you? I’d love to know what you came up with, so?feel free to reply with your thoughts.

Also, if you answered “yes” (or “no!”) to any of the questions above, I’d love to partner with you in the process of creating an extraordinary culture that delivers breakthrough results and unprecedented fulfillment. If you are interested in learning more about how The Ghannad Group can partner with you to transform your culture,?click here ?to schedule a discovery call with me.?During our conversation, we can discuss your specific situation and I’ll share my ideas and insight relative to the questions you have.?

If you found something of value in this edition of the newsletter, I'd love to discuss it with you in the comments below.?And if you'd like to share that value with others, I encourage you to do just that by clicking the Share button below as well!