Calm is Contagious
Calm is Contagious
There has been a serious bug doing the rounds in the area where we live, causing its victims to suffer from coughing fits for weeks on end. It seems to be pretty contagious, to the extent that I’ve almost gone looking for my Covid masks as a last resort to escape its clutches! This got me thinking about the (non-disease related) things that are contagious among humans…
Laughter is. Go find any video of a baby laughing on YouTube and challenge yourself to keep a straight face. Yawning is contagious. So is making gag noises when someone throws up close to you. Histeria, aggression, negativity – all contagious. You just need to spend 28 seconds on Twitter (X) to be convinced of this. Rugby World Cup fever is definitely contagious! I have even convinced Shinell to watch a couple of matches and early indications are that she is enjoying it (to be confirmed). Although we would like to think that we are the captains of our own ships, as people we are very susceptible to the influence of those around us. As social beings, we are constantly scanning our environments for clues on how we are to behave.
Which brings us to the topic of the Rugby World Cup…
The first round of matches gave us two fantastic examples of the impact that leaders can have and how their behaviour reflects and influences the health of the environment in which they operate. If you don’t watch rugby, please stick with me, I promise to relate this back to the topic of Organisational Health and Employee Experience.
Example 1 – Dan Biggar:
Some context first: The Wales Rugby Union has gone through a particularly tough time over the past 12-odd months as an organisation. Their national team has been losing against everybody, they are facing financial struggles and some very senior people have been accused of serious misconduct of a moral and sexual nature. A toxic environment by all accounts.
Dan Biggar is the Welsh flyhalf and has played more than 100 test matches for his country. He is one of his team’s most experienced players and as a senior player has a disproportionate impact on the people around him. In their match against Fiji this past Sunday, Wales and Biggar were having a pretty good game against all predictions. Just before half-time, an incident occurred which resulted in Biggar completely losing his cool, audibly swearing at his teammates, throwing a tantrum and storming off the field like a spoilt child. He reacted so strongly that even the opposition players started apologising! A very nasty, immature showing indeed. Wales went on to win what was one of the best games of the opening weekend. After the match, the coach was asked about this incident and replied something along the lines of “That is how we hold each other accountable.” Sure, bud…
Example 2 – Siya Kolisi:
South Africa played their first match on Sunday against Scotland. It was a very tight and nervous affair, which the Springboks ended up winning well. Our flyhalf Manie Libbok had a brilliant game but missed a number of kicks at goal – something which is usually very costly in tournament rugby. At the post-match press conference, the Springbok management were asked about these missed opportunities and this is what Siya had to say. There is no denying that nailing the kicks is essential. There is also no question that we need to hold people accountable to perform at the highest level. But HOW we communicate this matters A LOT. The chances of Manie improving his kicking performance are undoubtedly better knowing that his team has got his back, as opposed to waiting for a team member to crap on you for making a mistake.
Results matter.
Accountability matters.
Winning matters.
But so does how we do things.
So remember, like viruses, laughter, yawning and hysteria, calm is contagious. As a leader, manager, parent and team member, you set the temperature of your environment. You have the option of screaming, swearing and losing your mind. Or you can stay calm and decisively focus on the job at hand. I know what type of environment I would rather be part of.
If you would like to chat to us about what you read or have any thoughts you would like to share with us – You can reach us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
At PurposeWorks we are all about Making You and Your Work Rock. Our focus is on Organisational Health and Design, Employee Centered Culture, Leadership Development and Performance Coaching. For more information on how we can help you create a work environment that rocks, develop a great team, become an inspiring leader or unlock your personal excellence talk to us at info@purposeworks.co.za.
