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DECEMBER 2014

ENERGY IS CONTAGIOUSCONTAGIOUS

Meh...From the Bah-HumbugsBah-Humbugs

From the

Silver Bells

What are you �r�ding around?Please allow us a gross over-generalization.

When it comes to the holiday season, there are essentially two groups of people in the world:

The Bah-Humbugs: Those who start being grumpy in mid-October at the first hint of Christmas décor hitting retail stores, and keep grumping all the way through January 1st.

The Silver Bells: Those who can hardly wait to crank up the holiday Pandora station and relish every moment of “children laughing, people passing, meeting smile after smile."

If you fall into the former category, it’s understandable. After all, the holidays can feel like one big, pressure-filled, sugar-laden, commercialized nightmare.

But only you control the way you respond. Only you control your energy. Not only does your energy have a dramatic impact on the way you feel and think and function, but it impacts those around you. More than you know.

And we’re not just talking about the holidays. As a business owner, your energy is critical to the success of your company—and it’s also contagious.

Cirrus CEO Jason Rhode says:

“Every single interaction you have with another person leaves that person a little more energized, or a little less. That’s true for all of us, but the further up the leadership ladder you are, the greater the leverage you have becomes. Employees notice every single thing you do. Be very mindful of the messages you’re sending.”

the Take away

What m�sag� are you sending with your energy?

If you’re constantly working twelve-hour shifts and running around looking haggard and exhausted and you don’t know your kids’ names anymore, you’re telling all of your employees that that is the only acceptable way of life if you want to succeed at your company.

Fore!(Similarly, if you spend most of your time on the golf course, that’s sending a pretty strong message, too.)

If you face an inventory SNAFU or lose out on a big contract to a competitor, do you mope around and throw your paperweight across your office in anger? Or do you rally the troops and work out a game plan to do better next time?

If you bump into the new admin in the hallway, will he leave feeling more energized? More motivated? Or less so?

It’s easy—and common—to blame your energy on external factors. But, if we’re being honest, that’s kind of a cop-out. You still choose your response. Think of a time when you’ve met, heard about, or read about someone in less-than-ideal circumstances who exhibits infectiously positive energy in spite of real, crushing adversity.

If you’re going to be facing a crummy situation anyway, would you rather face a crummy situation with a crummy attitude? Or a crummy situation with a positive outlook?

Think of it this way: Would you want your employees to compound a crummy situation with a crummy attitude?

Insert external factor here: _____________

Disappointing financial performance

Difficult vendors

HR drama

Hearing “I saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” for the fifty millionth time before Thanksgiving

Now, you might be saying, “I try to exhibit positive energy and

demonstrate healthy work-life balance and incurable optimism,

but it’s �� � hard when…”

We want you to take two things from this:1) Take a hard look at the type of energy that you’re sending out. Is it the kind that you want to spread around your company? If not, how can you change it? If the energy you’re sending is too lasseiz-faire, are there things you need to take responsibility for? Can you be a stronger leader? If the opposite situation is the problem, are there things that you need to take off your plate? Can you outsource something? Are you responding to challenges and adversity in a positive, productive way? If not, how can you change your response?

2) On the flip side, take a hard look at the type of energy you receive from the people around you. Who drains your energy? (Small children don’t count. They’re supposed to drain your energy.) Is the Debbie Downer in sales dragging you down? Do you always leave a meeting with that one vendor feeling like the world is a terrible place? Take action now. Remember: Energy is contagious.

You don’t have to start humming Bing Crosby tunes or volunteer to take all the neighborhood kids caroling. (Let’s be reasonable.) But—especially if you’re in a leadership position—you do have to take responsibility for your own actions, reactions, attitude, and energy. So pour some egg nog and make the best of it.

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