Setting the Mood

I have a long-running joke with a few friends that I’ve probably written and spoken about the open-loop nature of the brain’s limbic system to more bankers than anyone in history.

Granted, I doubt that’s much of a competition, but I stand by my claim.

My initial interest and fascination with the fact that we humans tend to depend on external sources to help regulate our moods began in my in-store branch days.

When you are working in close quarters, dealing with sometimes challenging environments, the “mood” of the team matters.

A lot.

The engagement a team displays, along with the energy and empathy they bring to customers, is greatly influenced by the team’s prevailing mindset at the time.

We are naturally wired to be empathetic to the feelings and moods of others.

Researchers have found that the most emotionally expressive person in a group tends to spread their mood to others.

This is especially true if that person is also the group’s leader, whether they are officially or unofficially the leader.

I recently read a study conducted by the Kellogg School of Management.

In a scientifically valid experiment at a workplace, researchers found that high performers boosted the performance of coworkers within a 25-foot radius by 15%.

However, toxic employees had an even greater impact in the opposite direction, lowering coworkers’ performance by a dramatic 30%.

The boost in performance among nearby peers caused by high performers had nothing to do with direct assistance.

Instead, it stemmed from their visible productivity, positive outward disposition, and the personal examples they set.

The same - though in reverse - held true for toxic employees.

They may not take overt actions to hinder their peers’ performance, yet their unproductive behaviors, negative attitudes, and poor examples had an even greater impact than the positive influence of high performers.

This kind of data reinforces the adage that it’s wiser to hire and promote for attitude, not just skill.

From my earliest years working with bankers, I’ve joked with leaders that one of the most dangerous people on a team is a competent malcontent -operationally functional but culturally destructive.

A leader’s influence isn’t just about what they say.

It’s also about the culture they build and protect.

Keep Dealing the Cards