Sean D. Francis

Your Vibe is Contagious. Be Careful.

Posted on 09 December 2009

Kirk Weisler’s Thought for the Day often has wonderful bits of positivity that can sometime really keep the chaos of life in perspective.  Today’s bit of wisdom derived from a classic joke offered  insight  I think is often missed, especially by exuberantly passionate people.  I need to relate this to a work setting.  If one person comes in energized and really excited about a project it can go a long way in bringing other people on board and getting everyone excited and productive regarding the project.  Without the critical cues indicating to the rest of the group that the flurry of activity is due to excitement, it might look like the flurry of activity that comes when racing towards a deadline.  Or the flurry of activity that comes after being chewed out by the boss.  Instead of feeling positive, the coworkers might feel threatened, pushed, harassed, or steamrolled.

I like cheerleaders at work, but I’m the first to opt-out of any of those Rah! Rah! Rah! sessions.  I know I’m a big hypocrit on this point. That doesn’t matter, those Rah! Rah! Rah! sessions are important if only to make it clear what the vibe actually is.  If you want to spread a good mood, positive energy, and happiness through your workplace, make sure everyone is aware of that goal.  Otherwise it might get misinterpreted and backfire.