Paul Krismer outlined the approaches leaders can inspire their staffs with emotional intelligence and integrity in a high-energy session, Leaders as Role Models: How to Win the Hearts and Minds of Staff and Customers.
He explained emotional contagion, in which the emotions of one individual can alter the outlook of others on the team, pointing out that negative people can impact every part of an organization.
Teams are naturally hierarchical, he explained, illustrating how those roles are laid out even in our youth as we fall into roles among peers. He added that in work, leaders are the ones who set the roles in the hierarchy.
Anger is an emotion that shuts down capacity.
“We want to spread energy that motivates people,” Krismer told the audience.
He covered what he termed vertical partnerships, citing an example of soldiers defending a foxhole while their ammunition was running low. Those troops need a leader who encourages them to stay strong and hold off for as long as possible until assistance arrives, rather than looking with a sense of doom.
At that point, Krismer had attendees stand up and strike a pose to illustrate low spirits. Then each was instructed to stand straight. Next, he had attendees lift their sternum just a few inches and note the difference in their attitudes.
After that, participants were to raise their arms, then lift them over their heads and jump in the air. He asked them to note their emotional state at that point, revealing that someone jumping with their arms in the air from a firm posture.
He illustrated his topic with a video clip from The Blind Side, in which a large but ineffective football player is instructed to use his protective instincts to benefit his teammates. In the clip, the instructions are first framed from a coach’s perspective, which doesn’t achieve results. Next, the instructions are delivered from the player’s perspective, and success follows.
Krismer closed by emphasizing universal psychological needs (what we all want): belonging.
