Inspiring Workplaces: Are You or a Loved One a Victim of Secondhand Stress?

Published: Wed, 10/07/20

Humor at Work

ISSUE 843- Oct. 7, 2020


		Are You or a Loved One a Victim of Secondhand Stress?

	I've been speaking a lot lately in my virtual presentations about the dangers of second-hand stress: How our attitudes and behaviors are highly contagious and have the potential to infect the people around us. During this challenging time, we need to be extra intentional about making sure we aren't inadvertently stressing out the people around us through our own behaviors. Research, time and time again, reveals that our attitudes, emotions and behaviors are highly contagious. (Yes, those annoying, fun-sucking fun-suckers really can infect an entire team with their fun-sucking attitudes!) A research team from the London Business School discovered that warm and trusting CEOs have more cohesive leadership teams, intellectually curious CEOs have more flexible teams that are more open to risk, and anxious CEOs are surrounded by leaders who are reluctant to change their beliefs. Their research showed clearly that most teams adopt the personality of their leader. Social network researchers Nicholas Christakis and James Fowler discovered that this phenomenon of influencing the people around us isn't limited to leaders. Their research found that people don't just infect other people through their emotions, attitudes, and behaviors, they infect entire networks. In fact, they found that the influence a person has ripples out to three degrees of separation - in other words, your boss's spouse's behaviors could, in theory, impact you! Every time you enter a room (whether it's Zoom room or an actual room) remind yourself that you have far more influence than you realize and that regardless of your position, you are an orchestra conductor that helps determine the tone that is set in your meetings and in your workplaces. So, why not be the person who infects your network with more contagious laughter, positivity, and humor?

		Mike's Fun at Work Tip

Create a list of six interesting questions that will help everyone get to know their teammates a bit better, then, to add an element of random fun, roll a dice to determine which question each meeting participant has to answer. (Thank you, Natasha, for the inspiration for this idea!)
		Quote of the Week

"People may take a job for money, but they often leave it for more recognition." Bob Nelson
		It's a Wacky World

A group of five parrots at Lincolnshire Wildlife Park in the UK were ousted from their zoo after repeatedly squawking obscenities at visitors. “The more they swear, the more you usually laugh, which then triggers them to swear some more,” explained the chief executive of the wildlife park, Steve Nichols. “So, when one swears, one laughs, and before you know it, it just got to be like an old men’s club scenario where they are all just swearing and laughing,” reported Nichols. I'm trying to think how these poor parrots could be put to use? Maybe someone could use them on their front yard to keep stray dogs off their lawn? Or to train TV censors? If you have any creative suggestions, please send them my way.

Every Other Wednesdays
Register for another FREE culture conversation with "The Culture Club." Our next one is today, October 7, 1:00 EST, where we'll discuss how to bridge the home vs away team gap in the new hybrid workplace reality. If you can't make it, register and you'll get the recording: Every Other Wednesdays

Engaging Virtual Employees
Check out my checklist of 100+ ideas on how to connect and up the fun factor with remote employees: How to Connect With Your Virtual Employees

Michael's Newest & Most Popular Virtual Presentations
Leading and Laughing During Challenging Times;
Bridging the Gap In the Hybrid Workplace;
Creating a Jerk-Free Workplace!
mike@mikekerr.com

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