‘Leadership Behavior Is Contagious’ – Do You Agree?

‘Leadership Behavior Is Contagious’ – Do You Agree?

 
Do you recollect what attitude you brought to work today? Were you grumpy, upset and lethargic? Or were you happy, enthusiastic and focused? Most of us are aware of how we feel on a particular day. But few of us truly comprehend our own attitudes and its implication on people around us. This subtle quality of self-awareness and mindfulness can make or break your leadership.
 
The behavior of a leader directly impacts the behavior of his/her subordinates. Say you had a flat tire in the morning that got you late to a meeting. Now, you’re upset and would probably vent out your frustration on your subordinates. This negatively impacts the mood of your subordinates who in turn load it down on their direct reports. You see how you were responsible for painting a toxic environment in the organization which affected employee engagement at all levels?
 
The Harvard Business Review in its research article ‘The Trickle-Down Effect of Good (and Bad) Leadership’ studied 51 different types of behavior between senior executives and their direct reports. The research concluded 3 important findings:
 
  • Positive behaviors like development of self and others, technical and strategy skills, honesty, integrity, consideration, cooperation and decisiveness most easily trickled down from leaders to managers to employees
  • The direct reports of the worst performing managers were also below-average performers and the reverse was true for effective managers.
  • A sub-par manager eroded the engagement levels of his direct reports and their subordinates 
 
As a leader you are sure aware of the influence you hold on your team and their performance. That’s why it is essential that leaders are aware and mindful of passing down only positive behavior. We at MYB believe that leaders can make a big difference to the workplace culture with their attitude and behavior. You can choose either to make the workplace awe inspiring or uninspiring! What’s your choice?
 
Stay Connected with MYB

Other Interesting Stories

Add new comment