Think about a baby’s laughter. It is one of the most contagious sounds when heard; you are bound to start smiling and eventually, break out in laughter, too.
Imagine if you could be like the baby’s laughter in your place of work. The one everyone wants to be around. The one that management depends on to soften the blows of reality, hard times, and pressure.
A few years back I walked into a new company and from the first interaction, I experienced a sense of gloom – from the receptionist, the PA, to the sales team. All I could think of was “I got my job cut out for me today!”
It turned out that a section 189 was called, and everyone feared being retrenched and no one felt like being cheerful or could not care less how it affected the workplace.
The feeling of ‘doom and gloom’ and a lot of anxiety is what a lot of us are experiencing today. How can you, as an individual, change this and flip the switch to inspire your other colleagues of the good in every day?
It all starts with your mindset
Here’s a quick exercise: Think of one of the funniest moments in your life. Feel the fun, the positive energy, the ‘I am in control’ moment. Are you feeling it?
Think of another great moment. Breathe in the confidence, smell the success, feel the good vibe, hear the cheers…can you feel it? Your mood just changed, didn’t it?
Good, now take it one step further and put that feeling deep in your heart, bottle that magic, hold on to it and make sure you can access it whenever you need it.
You may probably say that it is not the same. Here’s the TRUTH: that is exactly what happens when we bring energy into the workplace.
People project what they perceive
As a NLP Practitioner, we have a saying: ‘Perception is projection’. This means that when you think something bad is going to happen, you already project and perceive a bad outcome before it even happened.
You always have a choice to decide how to feel, and this brings me to the following tips on how to influence the energy in the workplace.
- Ground your emotions to a positive outcome
No matter the projected outcome, park your emotion and find a positive solution – no matter what. One of my clients had a situation where their division was closing down; everyone was devastated. Through my coaching efforts, my client made a mind shift change and made a conscious decision to not let it affect him and immediately started looking for lessons learned and a new opportunity.
By having a plan B and plan C, made him feel in control and could bring his energy of hope and solutions to the rest of the team. Before we knew it, everyone found an alternative position within the company and they stood tall as the most adaptable team and individuals within the company. - Showcase your magic
Not everyone can be the confident-bubbly-personalities, however when you deliver your work with vigour, excitement and a mentality of “watch the magic evolve”, people have no other choice but to react and become more positive and energetic. - Don’t adopt, change
It is so easy to walk into your office, shrug the off vibe and choose to detach yourself to your desk, but how does that serve your productivity, mood and energy? Or in a remote working world, where you don’t engage with any of your colleagues in the weekly meetings.
Exactly within minutes, you will find yourself miserable and everything around will be going pear-shape.
You have the power within to change the vibe. Remember the magic bottle of happiness you have put in your heart? Go and get it and sprinkle it all over the place. - Ignore negativity – influence the energy
I am not saying ignore your friend in need, and show no compassion. Do not allow the negative energy to rub off on you. You have to make the mindful decision to stand tall, and influence the energy by starting off by greeting everyone with a smile. That’s right: everyone within the negative group. People need to feel support, love and happiness. Feeling loved, makes you question any negative vibes and helps you think more solution-orientated and goal-focussed. - Walk with confidence, embrace who you are, stay true to YOU
Lastly, confidence is an inside job and the only way you find confidence within is to embrace who you are.
Do you have a colleague that just walks the talk and seems as if he/she is a smooth operator? They embrace who they are, no matter the energy. They stay true to who they are.
Thus, even if the world collapse under the negativity of the pandemic, don’t let the pandemic become you. Stay true to what you are capable of, embrace you and walk with confidence. - Life is hard enough, and you cannot let life become you.
Today is a good day to choose the right mindset to influence the world, your colleagues and your friends. Become the energy you need to be the very best we can be.