By Sondra Calhoun
Did you know that both negative and positive emotions are contagious? Research has shown that the perception of emotional expression can cause the person watching to not only sense the emotion in the other person, but actually feel and express that same emotion. As leaders that means that we get the choice to either send waves of positive or negative emotions throughout our organization. Thanks to Barbara Fredrickson’s research, we now know that positive emotions can be transformational by contributing to the expansion of a person’s ways of thinking and acting.
For example, in the state of joy or happiness a person’s mental abilities are sharper, and they are more willing to try new things. Curiosity and excitement spark a person’s desire to explore, increase her knowledge, and discover new things. In a state of tranquility or serenity we tend to feel safe. This emotion prompts a person to savor his current circumstances and recent successes which positively impacts his concept of himself. The effect is to increase the person’s resources to take new actions. Positive emotions allow a person to turn away from everyday patterns of behavior and pursue novel, creative , and resourceful paths of thought and action.
As leaders we can promote and harness this amazing energy and focus in significant ways:
1. Affirm and appreciate our people
2. Nurture the expression of positive emotion
3. Help our people enhance their reflected best-self identity
4. Build pride in our people for their strengths and successes
If you want to learn more about the power of positive coaching and how to leverage it to bring out the best in the people you lead, schedule a time to chat with Strada Consulting here.