Smile

I went to an appreciation lunch recently with the theme “A Positive Kick in the Attitude.” The guest speaker really drove home how our attitude shapes our daily lives. What stood out to me was his point about our natural tendency to react. He showed that being friendly and open usually brings positive interactions, while projecting negativity often leads to conflict. It got me thinking about how a leader's attitude or energy can make a huge difference in team productivity.

I've seen that strong, united teams often have an intuitive understanding among them. When I look deeper, these teams seem to have something in common. Their leaders possess a high level of positive energy and they encourage creativity and transparency.  This seems to create a supportive environment and high-quality work. On the flip side, when I’ve worked with teams that seem disjointed it often stems from leadership problems. Lack of direction, unclear communication, or feeling disempowered by leadership can make teams feel like they're just going through the motions, leading to burnout.

The term "burnout" gets thrown around a lot, but real burnout isn't necessarily about working long hours or having a tough job. It's more about unmet expectations in your career. Surprisingly, psychologist Herbert Freudenberger defined burnout back in the '70s as feeling tired and frustrated due to unmet professional expectations. His research showed that the people who were disengaged and experiencing fatigue with their work actually had this issue because their passion had been met with disappointment. 

This definition really hits home for me. I've had times of intense work where I was thriving and other times with lighter workloads where I felt completely drained. Looking back, I can see that my energy was largely shaped by my leader and the team vibe. Hmmm, maybe that's why they say you join a company but leave a leader?

When leaders foster a collaborative and transparent environment, empowering team members to leverage their skills, it cultivates engaged teams. These teams with clear objectives often achieve successes that not only lift morale but also enhance productivity. It sounds straightforward, but it's more complex than it appears. We're multifaceted individuals with a 365 degree perspective on life. As we navigate through life's challenges, how we handle and channel our energy can profoundly impact our team's performance and overall productivity.

So, think about your own work situation. If you're in a good place, take a moment to thank your team. But if work feels like a grind and your team seems disengaged, don't just look for a short-term escape like a vacation or shorter work week. Check in with your own energy and observe how it affects your team. Listen to their input and be transparent when you can. And if everything else falls short, kickstart your positive energy with a simple smile. You never know, that small gesture might just ignite the unexpected positivity and teamwork you're looking for.

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Ellen is an executive thought leader, business strategist and coach who is optimistic, energetic, and committed to serving and connecting others. She believes human resources is the business of people and the core of the company. The most successful organizations are those that align their talent strategies with their business strategies to ensure an organization’s people and culture are championed. HR’s primary function is to advocate for the total wellbeing of the company, the employee and the consumer - not always in that order!

As a passion project, she runs a theatre company that performs live theatre in site-specific spaces with a mission to reimagine live theatre with innovative experiences that bring our community together.