372 From Ritz-Carlton to Pasona: What Leaders Can Learn About Mood Making

What does it mean for a leader to be the “mood maker”?
A mood maker is someone who sets the emotional tone of the team. When leaders stay isolated in plush executive offices, they risk losing contact with their people. Research and experience show that a leader’s visibility directly affects engagement, loyalty, and performance. Leaders who project energy and conviction, day after day, create the emotional climate that shapes culture.
Mini-summary: Leaders set the emotional temperature—visibility and energy are non-negotiable.

Why does visibility matter so much?
Japanese business leader Yasuyuki Nambu of Pasona insisted his executives work in open-plan spaces. Employees saw him move through the office daily, reinforcing approachability and connection. Management thinker Tom Peters called this MBWA—Management by Wandering Around. Leaders who are visible influence more effectively than those hidden behind doors.
Mini-summary: Visibility breaks down barriers and makes leadership influence real.

How do rituals reinforce leadership mood?
The Ritz-Carlton perfected daily rituals to unite staff worldwide. Every shift, in every location, employees review the same service principles. Even CEOs attend and sometimes junior staff lead. This proves that culture is driven by daily repetition, not occasional slogans. Leaders who commit to rituals demonstrate that mood-making is everyone’s responsibility.
Mini-summary: Daily rituals anchor culture and sustain a leader’s influence.

What can Japanese leaders learn from this?
In Japan, the chorei morning huddle serves the same purpose. At Shinsei Retail Bank, leaders ran daily principle reviews at every branch. At Dale Carnegie Training Japan, the “Daily Dale” ritual uses 30 human relations and 30 stress management principles. These routines turn abstract values into lived behaviours, shaping mood across teams.
Mini-summary: Daily huddles transform values into lived culture.

Isn’t it exhausting for leaders to always project positivity?
Yes—but that’s the job. Leadership isn’t about how you feel in the moment; it’s about what the team needs. Even on bad days, leaders must rise above personal moods and radiate passion, commitment, and belief in the “why.” Energy is contagious. Without it, teams drift into disengagement.
Mini-summary: Leaders must project energy even when they don’t feel it.

What is the ultimate impact of leaders as mood makers?
When leaders step forward and embody visibility, energy, and conviction, they inspire trust and engagement. They don’t just manage—they infect their teams with purpose. In contrast, leaders who retreat into offices create distance and apathy. The leader’s mood becomes the team’s culture.
Mini-summary: Leadership mood directly becomes organisational culture.

Great leaders are always mood makers. By staying visible, leading rituals, and projecting energy, they set the culture in motion and inspire teams to perform at their best.