The way bosses feel can really impact us. Think about when a big boss gets super excited in a meeting, or when a team leader seems really annoyed during a team talk. Our own feelings start to match theirs, and that can change how we act at work.
For example, Steve Jobs, who was a famous boss, sometimes cried at work. Surprisingly, this actually made his employees like working with him more.
Prolonged impact
A recent study from LSE shows that how a boss feels at the start of the day can affect how the rest of us feel and work all day. This is important because when we’re really into our work and feeling positive, it’s good for everyone. But when we’re not feeling great, it can hurt how we do our jobs.
The reason this happens is because we’re kind of like emotional detectives. We pay close attention to how our bosses feel, and that helps us understand how we should feel too. It’s like starting the day with a happy boss can make us feel happy too, and do better at our jobs. But if the boss is often in a bad mood, it can make us feel bad too.
Imagine two bosses. One always seems the same, while the other’s feelings go up and down a lot. Most people would rather work with the boss who’s pretty consistent. It’s easier to understand what to expect. Working with an up-and-down boss can be tricky because our own emotions start to go up and down with theirs.
Consistently positive
The researchers studied this and found that when bosses have consistent positive feelings, it helps us do our jobs better. But even if a boss’s mood changes a lot, it doesn’t cancel out the bad effects of their bad moods. Bad moods from the boss always make us feel worse at work, no matter if they change a lot or not.
So, what’s the takeaway from all of this? Well, bosses should try to be positive as much as they can. When they’re in a good mood, we’re more likely to be in a good mood and work well. And for us workers, we should know that our boss’s feelings can rub off on us, so it’s important to be aware of that. If the boss is happy a lot, it’s like a boost for us. But if the boss is often grumpy, it might be smart to keep some distance emotionally.
