Unhappy Leaders Destroy Morale

Recently, an employee asked for our advice on how to deal with her manager who she described as an “unhappy person.” The concerned employee went on to add that two weeks ago, the manager was out sick two days and let us know that you could feel the team’s spirit, morale and happiness rise to a new level because the manager was not on site. This manager is the type of person that brightens up the whole office…when they leave. The only thing worse for a leader than brightening up the office when you are not there is when the CEO or CFO of a publicly traded company resigns and the price of the stock instantly goes up. 

One unhappy employee can bring down the morale of a team. In this case, an effective leader would coach and counsel an employee so they understand that their attitude of unhappiness is having an impact on both the team and the customers you serve. If the unhappiness of the employee was negatively impacting teamwork or service to customers, and the employee was not willing to change, a good leader would share the employee with a competitor. With one unhappy employee and a good leader, there is always hope. But, when a leader is the unhappy person, there is very little hope of improving the morale of the team.

Directly and indirectly, as a leader, you are the chief morale officer of your team. It is your job to create workplace excellence where team members love work. But what if you are currently unhappy? Maybe you are having challenges at home or work. Or, what if you are just a glass half-empty type of person. Some of the common work-related reasons include being overworked, stressed, feeling not appreciated, or are stuck and do not see a positive future with their career path.

There is a good chance that all of us have experienced times when we have not been happy. When we feel unhappy and we are the leader, what do we do? Here are 10 tips to help put you on a path of restored happiness:

1. Crystalize your positive vision. Ensure you have a positive vision for you as a leader and for your team. Write out your vision. If you don’t see a positive future for you and your team, it will be difficult for you to be happy. 
2.  Take action. Make a list of what you believe is leaving you unhappy. Then, list what actions you need to achieve to take you one step closer to happiness. Action leads to happiness. When you are not happy, inaction leads to greater unhappiness.
3. Do your toughest task first: Difficult tasks are the easiest to procrastinate. When you continue to think about something you should have done, but did not, it does not lead to happiness. Do the difficult task first. Growing up, I hated eating green peas. I ate everything on my plate except the peas. I would just sit there and stare at them. My mother was right. She told me, “the only thing worse than a hot pea is a cold pea.” If you have to swallow a frog, don’t sit there and stare at it.
4. Exercise. It is easier to be happier when you are physically fit. If you don’t like exercise, get up and move. Take a walk. Being physically fit gives you more energy to take the necessary actions that will lead to happiness.
5. Act happy. Research shows that even a fake smile boosts your mood. And if you’re smiling, other people will perceive you as being happier, friendlier, and more approachable. Are you the type of person that people feel comfortable approaching? Smile and fake it ’til you feel it.
6. Pay it forward. Reach out, care about others, and help someone else. Research shows us that doing something nice for someone else leads to greater happiness.  What can you do for someone else that shows you care, value, and appreciate them?
7. Deliver on results. When you are down, excuses are easy to justify why you did not achieve the results you desire. Laziness leads to inaction and unhappiness. Almost always, we feel happier when we accomplish something and achieve our goals. 
8. Schedule time with happy people: Who is happy in your life? It may be your family or it could be your friends. Reach out to others and make the effort to take action and make the time so that you can benefit from the happiness of others.
9. Take full responsibility for your thoughts. It is your thoughts about situations that lead to your attitude. Some people view a difficult employee or a dysfunctional team a reason that makes it hard to find happiness. Other leaders view both of these examples are challenges that they are excited and happy about the opportunity to improve the team. Your thoughts lead to your happiness or unhappiness, not the situation
10. Be grateful. Recently, someone sitting next to me on a plane said, “life’s not fair.” If you have ever gone through a really tough time, like losing a loved one, then you may have said it too, life’s not fair. Another way to look at this situation is to believe life is really fair. Of all the DNA combinations in the world, you are here experiencing life. We all have reason to be grateful. My 94 year old father recently told me, “I am so glad I lived long enough to use the internet.” Make a list of all the things you are grateful to have in your life. As I write this blog, I am grateful for my family, the opportunity to help my aging parents, my team I work with each day and clients who I love working with and value what I do. A great question to ask yourself is, “When you arrive to work, does your attitude raise the morale and spirit of your team?” Happiness is a choice. If you are leading a team, you have an obligation to role model happiness for your team. Each day, if you take the actions of a great leader, happiness will follow. 

The good news is whether you are an unhappy leader or a happy leader, your attitude is your choice. As a supervisor or manager, you lose the right to be unhappy and single handedly bring down the morale of your team. By choosing to bring a great attitude to work each day and by putting these ten tips into play, you will be a leader who helps take your team’s morale to an even higher level.