Now, I gotta tell ya that I actually scrapped the topic I was going to talk about today because I think I would have come across as out of touch and like I was trying to carry on with business as usual. We are living in very unusual times, but what I want to talk with you about today is something I talk about regularly with my coaching clients. This is a technique you can use as a leader in good times and in bad.

And that’s about how you are contagious – and I’m not talking about any virus. I’m talking about your energy.

Now look, I’m not going to try to tell you to focus on the positive (although there actually is a lot of positive out there and there is a time and a way for doing that). Whether you’re dealing with employees being laid off, financial issues, relationship challenges, or, like me – I’m dealing with my son and his fiance who will most likely be postponing their wedding,

Your strength is needed now more than ever.

I’m not talking about being an obnoxious, saccharine-y  Pollyanna, because frankly if I’m facing major challenges like losing my job or loss of income and someone tells me to just focus on the positive, I would seriously want to punch them in the throat. So that’s not what we’re talking about here.

As a leader, you are being watched, and people are following your lead. The world can be going to hell in a handbasket, and you can be surrounded by Negative Nancys and Neds, or Weeping Wendy’s or Walters, but if you keep your cool and maintain a we-can-get-through-this attitude and approach, people will pick up on it.

I tell my coaching clients the only person you can change is yourself. If you want to be a force for good in the world, you have to set a firm intention, and then be conscious of how you show up in every interaction. And the interesting thing is that when you consistently show up with positive energy and vibes, just for the sake of being accountable for your own presence, over time, those negative people may “catch” your positivity.

Here are a few steps you can take to be positively contagious:

• First of all, think about how you want to show up for others. What do you want your presence to be? Do you want to be frantic and afraid, or calm, cool, and collected?
• Put on your oxygen mask first. You can’t be a source of stability if you’re teetering on the edge, about to lose it at any minute. Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, exercise, and for the love of all that is holy, BREATHE! Take some long, slow, deep breaths before you get on a conference call, or go into an interaction with someone. Get in the habit of doing some deep breathing exercises on the regular and see how it calms and steadies you.
• Be that strong, stable force for good for those around you, knowing that your energy and vibes are contagious.
• When you feel yourself being sucked into someone else’s drama or fear or negativity, imagine that you’ve got a force field or a bubble all around you, protecting you from their energy, but allowing your strength and your energy to reach them. Again, take some deep breaths, or even excuse yourself from the situation so you can reboot.

As a strong woman in leadership, people are looking to you for solutions and stability, and they need you now more than ever. Regardless of what or who you’re facing today, choose to be positively contagious.

I’m here to be your guide on the side so let’s have a chat. Visit this link to schedule a call with me.

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Jennifer Ledet, CSP, is a leadership consultant and professional speaker (with a hint of Cajun flavor) who equips leaders from the boardroom to the mailroom to improve employee engagement, teamwork, and communication.  In her customized programs, leadership retreats, keynote presentations, and breakout sessions, she cuts through the BS and talks through the tough stuff to solve your people problems.