Boost Your Mood to Enhance Performance
You already knew that unhappy employees are bad for business, but did you know they are actually costing you money?
New research finds that employees who report to work in a bad mood do less work and lower quality work than those who come in happy. The good news is that you can do something about it.
The research found that employees’ moods when they clocked in tended to affect how they felt the rest of the day. While this might seem like common sense, the research went further and determined that employee mood had a direct impact on how customers were treated.
“We saw that employees could get into these negative spirals where they started the day in a bad mood and just got worse over the course of the day,” said Steffanie Wilk, associate professor of management and human resources at Ohio State University’s Fisher College of Business, who conducted the research.
Managing your mood is essential to reaching the highest levels of performance. When you manage your mood and personal energy effectively, it allows you to interact with others in more productive, healthier ways.
When we are at our best, we feel more resourceful, articulate and energized. One of the keys to being at our best and capable of optimal performance is to recognize our emotions and understand how they are affecting our thinking and behavior.
To generate higher quality thinking and drive improved results, consider using the following strategies:
Use your feelings as a guide; be self-aware and realize your thinking is unreliable in lower mood states.
Understand that you control your own thinking, not anyone else.
Use pattern interruptions to shift your mood and gain a better outlook.
Don't underestimate the power of positive thinking.
Take good care of yourself physically, mentally and emotionally.
Assume positive intentions from others.
Be grateful for what you have.
Keep things in perspective.
