How a leader’s positive emotions improve employees engagement
Read time: 1.5 min
Core Idea
A leader's emotional expressions impact employees' daily work engagement, with research suggesting that maintaining emotional stability and positivity enhances workplace dynamics and boosts productivity.
Top Thoughts
A leader's emotions significantly influence employees' emotions, attitudes, and behaviors in the workplace; e.g., Steve Jobs’ crying at the office was actually one reason employees loved working for him.
Work engagement is a measure of positive work-related states of mind. A leader's emotional expressions set the tone for employees' workday, affecting their engagement.
Promoting positive emotions, e.g. happiness, excitement, and satisfaction, boosts positivity and increases work engagement.
Increasing negative emotions, e.g. sadness, anxiety, and anger, boosts negativity and decreases work engagement.
The emotion-as-social-information theory states that leaders' emotions convey vital social signals and influence how employees interpret interpersonal situations.
A consistent display of positive emotions with low emotional variability significantly improves engagement.
Leaders should improve their management EQ by understanding emotions, recognizing emotional triggers, and maintaining consistent positive emotions to influence employees' attitudes and engagement positively.
Quick Quotes
"When we observe our leaders’ emotions, our own emotions inadvertently fluctuate in response, and these feelings may also impact our attitudes and behaviors at work."
"Steve Jobs’ crying at the office was actually one reason employees loved working for him."
"Leaders’ emotional expressions are not just fleeting moments; they may set the tone for the entire workday of the employees."
"When employees fully engage in their work, they are not only physically present in the workplace but also harness themselves to their work role."
"The emotions of leaders convey vital social signals, helping employees decipher their current interpersonal situations."
"The most effective leaders consistently display positive emotions across days."
"Observing the patterns of a leader’s emotions can help them strategize on leveraging these emotions in the workplace."
Action Steps
Understand emotional influence - Be aware that emotional expressions are being observed by employees and directly impact employee emotions, attitudes, and behaviors in the workplace.
Maintain consistent positive emotions - Consistent positivity in a leader sets a positive tone and enhances employee engagement and productivity.
Improve emotional intelligence and support - Recognize emotional triggers, manage emotions effectively, and use positive emotions strategically to influence employees' experiences and performance. Encourage open communication and regular check-ins to understand employee emotional well-being and concerns. Offer resources, workshops, or training focusing on emotional intelligence, stress management, and resilience for leaders and employees to create an emotionally aware and supportive workplace culture.
Source
Sun, J., Wayne, S.J., & Liu, Y. (2023, Aug 21). How a leader’s positive emotions improve employee engagement. [Web article]. The London School of Economics and Political Science. (Link)
