Leadership does not happen in a vacuum

Leadership does not happen in a vacuum

Now it is October - the autumn period, when the beautiful fall starts to pass in some places and is replaced by heavy rains, brownness or grayness and, at least in the opinion of the undersigned, the darkest times and weather conditions of the year. We're not big fans of October. It is tiring, boring and it is harder than normal to generate enthusiasm.

Now what does it matter about anything? - The fact that we are probably not alone with our starting depression. And that this change in our operating environment is certainly not the only change that can affect our atmosphere. 

When we come to the workplace, we cannot turn off our emotions, which are then in control. We have been able to argue with our spouse in the morning, get stuck in traffic, or alternatively we have had the best night's sleep, and our child has been the sunniest toddler in the morning, with whom everything has gone well.

As a leader and front person, you can't know every morning what emotional states your team is carrying with them. However, you must take them into account in your management - management is not pure case management (division of work), but perhaps one of the most important duties of a manager is to build and maintain the atmosphere in which work is done. Management does not take place in a vacuum, where only work-related matters affect and are present.

It is the manager's responsibility to determine what the atmosphere of the work community will be like - when it comes from you. One descriptive saying related to the atmosphere is that each of us creates a good atmosphere in the work community - some by coming, others by leaving. As a leader, your job is to create a good atmosphere every single day - even if it's tough.

Case in point:

It's raining outside and the economy is down and sales aren't really going well. The leader does not wallow in this gray swamp, but maintains the idea and mantra that "our autumn is bright". He builds every day the feeling that even though the economic situation is challenging, our success is in our own hands, and we have every chance of success as long as we focus on doing our own thing and believe in it.

Bad example:

Many long days behind. Tiring and annoying. The last meeting of the day begins and a team member begins to open up about something that has been weighing on his mind, to which the just as tired manager who has arrived says "Change the tone of your voice, I can't take any nonsense now". Then the downward spiral of a bad mood suddenly causes a big dent in mutual cooperation.

And don't get us wrong - a leader is also human, and you have the right to your feelings as well. Since your appointment as a manager or supervisor, you have not had the same right to express them without thinking about the consequences. Remember - if you generally maintain a good mood, it's also easier for you to forgive mistakes and moments of bad mood, and it's also easier for you to apologize 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 laborious. Before you step in front of your teammates in Teams, face-to-face, or anywhere, stop and look in the mirror. In this situation, are you now the person that the other person deserves to meet? If not, what do you need to do to be?

As a leader, it is your responsibility to be present to your team and to be the right kind of tabula rasa – a blank slate that has not been negatively affected by the other bumps of the day. Then it is possible to go through even difficult discussions in a positive spirit and without effects that break up long-term cooperation. So check your own activities constantly - do you create a good atmosphere by arriving or leaving?

Do you want to discuss managing the atmosphere and building the culture of the work community more? Reserve an appointment on the calendar for a free sparring discussion here!