In this episode, we dive into the science of emotional contagion and how being intentional about the emotions you project can transform your leadership impact. Have you ever seen someone walk into a room and instantly shift the energy? That’s emotional contagion in action. Emotions silently spreading from person to person, often without us realizing it. As leaders, learning to manage this contagion is one of the most powerful, and underused, tools at our disposal.

The Science of Emotional Contagion

Research from Princeton reveals how our brains use "mirror neurons" to unconsciously mimic the emotional states of those around us. This isn't just a theory – it has measurable impacts on productivity, creativity, and even physical health through stress hormones like cortisol. Most importantly for leaders, emotions don't spread equally – the emotions of people with more power tend to have a greater ripple effect throughout teams and organizations.

Your Default Broadcast Channel

• Each of us has a default "broadcast channel" – especially under pressure.
• I share a personal story about how my unintentional broadcast affected my young son.
• The importance of recognizing what you're projecting to others, particularly when deadlines loom or unexpected problems arise.
• Why your broadcast matters: "When the pressure rises, all eyes turn to the leaders."

Rebroadcasting When Your Tone Isn't Helpful

Michelle Gielan's research shows we can consciously choose our broadcasts through a three-step process:

1. Recognize your current broadcast through physical and facial cues
2. Pause and reset – even 30 seconds can make a difference
3. Choose your new broadcast intentionally based on what your team needs

This isn't about being inauthentic or denying challenges – it's about being intentional about which aspects of a situation you emphasize and how you frame difficulties.

The Contagious Power of Positivity

Research by Shawn Achor shows that when leaders broadcast authentic positive emotions (not toxic positivity), it creates a "happiness advantage" with remarkable benefits:

• 31% higher productivity
• 37% higher sales
• Greater creativity and problem-solving abilities
• More resilience during challenges
• Lower turnover rates

I explain why negativity must be addressed as a performance issue and how positive emotions, when authentic, are actually more contagious than negative ones.

Remember, your emotional broadcast is a leadership choice, not just an automatic response to circumstances. When you begin to see your emotions as a leadership tool you can consciously use, you unlock a new dimension of influence and become a true architect of your team's emotional climate and performance.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enhance your leadership impact, visit ClaireLaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @ClaireLaughlinConsulting.

Thanks so much for listening to This Leader Podcast! New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

Sources

Achor, S. (2010). The Happiness Advantage: The Seven Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work. Crown Business.

Barsade, S. G. (2002). The Ripple Effect: Emotional Contagion and Its Influence on Group Behavior. Administrative Science Quarterly, 47(4), 644-675.

Engert, V., Plessow, F., Miller, R., Kirschbaum, C., & Singer, T. (2014). Cortisol increase in empathic stress is modulated by emotional closeness and observation modality. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 45, 192-201.

Gielan, M. (2015). Broadcasting Happiness: The Science of Igniting and Sustaining Positive Change. BenBella Books.

Gielan, M., & Achor, S. (2015). The effects of news content on emotions, optimism and subsequent behavior. Unpublished manuscript.

Hatfield, E., Cacioppo, J.T., & Rapson, R.L. (1993). Emotional Contagion. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 2(3), 96-100.

Seppälä, E., & Cameron, K. (2015). Proof That Positive Work Cultures Are More Productive. Harvard Business Review, 12(1), 44-50.

In this episode, I explore how identifying and leveraging your natural talents can transform your energy, impact, and results, both for you and your team. Have you ever felt like the daily grind is draining the life out of you? Many leaders I talk with feel this way - not because they don't like their jobs, but because they're spending too much time on tasks that exhaust them and not enough on work that brings them energy and fulfillment.

In this episode, you'll hear about:

What Strengths Really Are

I explain the difference between learned skills and innate strengths - those natural talents that when paired with skills truly energize you. Using the metaphor of driving a car with bald tires on ice versus driving with perfect tires on an open road, I illustrate how working from your strengths creates traction and flow in your work life.

My Personal Strengths Journey

I share how I operated for years as a "workhorse" focused only on production, eventually discovering that this approach left me exhausted and unhappy. There was even a job I got fired from that, in hindsight, was a complete misfit for my natural talents. My breakthrough came when I realized I was reserving my most energizing work (strategic thinking and program design) for weekends, not recognizing its true value.

Three Ways to Discover Your Strengths

• Formal assessments - Tools like the Working Genius model by Patrick Lencioni can identify your natural talents.
• Self-reflection - Ask yourself when you lose track of time, what problems people come to you for help with, and what activities energize you.
• Feedback from others - Sometimes our strengths are so natural we don't recognize them as special.

The Real Cost of Ignoring Strengths

Research from Gallup shows powerful benefits to strengths-based approaches:

• People who use their strengths daily are 6x more likely to be engaged at work.
• Teams that focus on strengths are 12-15% more productive.
• Organizations see 15% lower turnover rates when employees work from their strengths.

But beyond statistics, there's a personal cost. When we operate outside our strength zones for too long, we experience depletion, work harder but accomplish less, and are more likely to burn out or disengage.

Bringing Strengths to Your Team

I share a personal example of how reorganizing work with my business manager Marissa based on our natural strengths dramatically increased our productivity and reduced stress. Even in organizations with rigid job descriptions, you can implement three practical strategies:

1. Task trading - Look for opportunities for people to trade responsibilities within a job class.
2. Process adaptation - Adjust how tasks are done, using technology, checklists, or collaboration to compensate for natural tendencies.
3. Role sculpting- Shift emphasis within existing roles to leverage individual strengths.

The key is starting the conversation with your team: "What parts of your job give you the most energy? Where do you feel you make your best contributions? What tasks consistently drain you?"

Resources Mentioned:

• "Reclaim Your Work Joy": A free guide to sculpt your role for maximum fulfillment.
• Working Genius Assessment: Available at workinggenius.com for $25.

Understanding your strengths isn't just for the workplace - it can transform your personal relationships, too. Remember, leading from strengths doesn't require grand gestures or complete overhauls. It's about consistent, intentional actions that align your work with your natural talents.

To learn more about my services, including team workshops on strengths-based leadership, visit clairelaughlin.com and connect with me on social channels @ClaireLaughlinConsulting.

Thanks for listening!

New episodes are released weekly, and we'd love for you to share them with others who might benefit.

In this episode, Claire Laughlin shares her team's complete goal-setting system that keeps strategic priorities front and center all year long.

Learn how to transform vague annual objectives into actionable steps that create real momentum. We're officially into Q2, and if you're like most leaders, those ambitious January goals might be fading into the background as daily demands take over. This episode walks you through our exact process - from annual planning to weekly execution - that has transformed how the team approaches goals.

In this episode, we'll dive into:

The Annual Blueprint:

Hear about our December strategic planning retreat, where we reflect on the previous year before mapping out what's ahead. You'll learn why we create a visual timeline of the entire year, starting with our "big rocks" - the non-negotiable commitments already in place - before adding new strategic initiatives. Most teams do this backward, setting ambitious goals without first accounting for their actual capacity.

The Quarterly Breakdown

• Why compressing your execution timeline from 12 months to 12 weeks creates productive urgency
• How to transform vague annual goals into a clear roadmap with deadlines and deliverables.
• The importance of breaking quarterly targets into monthly actions and outcomes
• How this approach builds accountability across your team

The Rhythm of Review

This is where most planning systems fall apart - creating beautiful plans in January that never get looked at again. Claire shares the team's exact cadence of quarterly reviews, monthly planning sessions, and weekly team meetings that keeps goals consistently visible and builds momentum throughout the year.

Making It Work For You

Even if you're working within a larger organization with mandated planning processes, the key principles can be adapted to your context. Remember: what gets scheduled gets done. Block time for these planning and review sessions on your calendar right now. When you establish clear goals and maintain consistent focus on them, you're not just doing planning work; you're demonstrating what truly matters as a leader.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

• Goal-Getting System Template. (Click here to download from our podcast page)
• The 12 Week Year by Brian Moran

Our annual goal setting process was inspired by “Your Best Year Yet” by Jinny Ditzler.

To learn more about my services and for additional tools to enrich your leadership journey, visit clairelaughlin.com and connect on social channels @ClaireLaughlinConsulting

Don't forget to subscribe and share with another leader who might benefit. It feels so good to CRUSH our goals. New weekly releases every Tuesday.