Leadership does not happen in a vacuum
October is here - the autumn period, when the beautiful brown is starting to fade in some places, giving way to heavy rains, browns or greys and, for those of us who have signed up, the darkest times and weather of the year. We are not big fans of October. We get tired, bored and it's harder than usual to generate enthusiasm.
So what does it matter about anything now? - What matters is that we are probably not alone in our incipient depression. And that this change in our environment is far from the only change that can affect our mood.
When we come to the workplace, we can't shut out the emotions that we are feeling at the time. We may have argued in the morning with our spouse, got stuck in traffic, or alternatively, we have had the most wonderful night's sleep, and our child has been the sunniest toddler in the morning, and everything has gone smoothly.
As a leader and a manager, you cannot know in any given morning what emotions your team will carry with them. But in your leadership you need to take them into account - leadership is not pure management (division of labour), but perhaps one of the most important tasks of a manager is to build and maintain the atmosphere in which work is done. Leadership does not take place in a vacuum, where only work-related issues are relevant and present.
It's up to the manager to decide what the atmosphere in the workplace is like - because it starts with you. Indeed, one saying about atmosphere is that each of us creates a good atmosphere in the workplace - some by coming in, others by leaving. As a leader, it's your job every day to create a good atmosphere - even if it's hard.
A good example:
It's raining outside and the economy is down and sales are not really picking up. The manager is not wallowing in this grey swamp, but maintaining the idea and mantra that ”our autumn is bright”. Every day, he builds the vibe that even though the economic climate is challenging, our success is in our own hands and we have every chance of success if we focus on doing our own thing and believe in it.
A bad example:
Several long days behind us. Tired and irritated. The last meeting of the day begins and a team member starts to open up about something that's been bothering him, to which an equally tired manager, who has arrived, says ”Change your tone of voice, I'm not in the mood for any of this”. This is when a spiral of bad moods suddenly puts a big dent in mutual cooperation.
And don't get us wrong - a manager is a human being too, and you are equally entitled to your feelings. It's just that you, since you became a manager or a managerial staff member, have not had the same right to express them without thinking about the consequences. Remember - if you generally maintain a good mood, you are also more likely to be forgiven for mistakes and bad mood moments, and you are also more likely to apologise for them. If you are constantly irritable and in a bad mood, it will rub off on your team and you may also start to be shunned.
So what can you, as a leader, do about it?
The solution is actually easy - but inconvenient. Before you face your team member on Teams, face-to-face or wherever, stop and look in the mirror. In this situation, are you now the person the other person deserves to meet? If not, what do you need to do in order to be?
As a leader, your responsibility is to be present for your team and to be the right tabula rasa - the blank slate that has not been negatively affected by the other bumps in the day. Then even difficult discussions can be carried through in a positive spirit and without long-lasting, divisive effects. So keep your own actions under constant review - do you create a good atmosphere by arriving or leaving?
Want to discuss more about managing atmosphere and building workplace culture? Book an appointment for a free sparring session from the calendar here!
