Help for a Bad Mood
A bad mood suits this time of year. It’s the dead of winter in Central Pennsylvania.
Pursuing happiness leads to misery.* But ignoring it doesn’t help.
Miserable leaders aren’t “serious.” They’re toxic.
Your bad mood kills productivity, destroys retention, and dilutes engagement.
Unhappy leaders lead unhappy teams.
How to Sabotage Happiness
- Avoid stuff. Let problems fester.
- Focus on things you don’t like.
- Demand perfection. Paralyze people with fear.
- Dream about the good ole days. Signal the future is less than the past.
- Weaponize weaknesses. Constantly bring up things people do poorly.
- Work all the time. Neglect play. Promote people who do the same.
- Punish initiative.
A bad mood spreads faster than the flu.
7 Ways to Defeat “Bad Mood” Leadership
Happiness is energy.
- Let yourself enjoy happiness. Laugh. Don’t fear joy. Positive emotion expands cognitive ability.
- Earn trust. Have you had a leader you didn’t trust? Were you happy? Productive? Trust precedes happiness.
- Minimize secrets. Silos are made of secrets. Paranoia breeds unhappiness. Participation stands on transparency.
- Shut up and listen. Happiness goes up when people feel understood. Make space for silence. Remind people they matter.
- Don’t fix people. Everyone sucks at something. Don’t ask fish to climb trees. Position people to maximize their talent.
- Share control. Micromanagers are insecure. The more you control the more you choke people.
- Honor the process. Name behaviors you admire. Dive below results to behaviors that produce them.
Bonus: Fire killjoys. Start with yourself.
A leader in a bad mood creates a corrosive climate.
Which of these happiness principles would move you forward today?
The Upside of a Down Mood for a Leader’s Team
*Why the pursuit of happiness leads to misery
Practical, doable and needed steps for all leaders. Thank-you as always for sharing . My greatest two takeaways: show joy as a leader and share leadership opportunities with all on your team. Positively and ever grateful for Dan Rockwell’s wisdom. Pauline Duncan-Thrasher beamazinglyyou@gmail.com
Thanks sharing your takeaways, Pauline. I share your enthusiasm for showing joy. The weight of responsibility can lead to grumpiness. Cheers
“Don’t ask fish to climb trees” created a Dr. Seuss visual for me! Thanks for the laugh this morning.
Thanks, Laurie. I’m a fan of Dr. Seuss. His biography, Becoming Dr. Seuss is fantastic. https://amzn.to/3LGhr9L
Best for the journey.
“Pursuing happiness leads to misery.” A stark reminder. Why do we hear such powerful principles so seldom? Thank you for this post, Dan! And for many others too — I don’t comment as often as I read them.
Thanks for the good word, Arjan. I appreciate you stopping by today. Here’s to success.