Mood spelled backwards spells doom…and for good reason. If you’re a Power Talker, your mood will infect the minds of others with severe consequences. Are you moody, as in, “Well, yeah I guess I get a little upset.” Do you blow up or have meltdowns on a weekly basis and then blame it on something or someone other than yourself? Don’t know for certain? Just ask a family member or colleague at work, if they’re not too scared to tell you the truth. And then listen up!
THE WHOLE FAMILY TEAM IS AFFECTED
You must own up to your positive power. You are a Mood-Maker Inventor. Yelling or barking out orders strips your relationship bank account of trust and goodwill. How Steve, a communication client, put it…
Until using TALK2Me, I didn’t realize your mood sticks to others. I think that’s a bad thing. If I’m in a bad mood, then that’s going to put people who reflect my moods in a bad mood, then that’s going to create a bad environment all around us.
You create the good mood vs. bad mood climate around you. Believe it! To be productive, you have to be in a good mood. For others to cooperate with you, they have to see you in a good mood. Laughter goes a long ways to reducing stress.
ARE YOU HAVING A BAD DAY?
Another client, Mitch, came to communication coaching with me to learn how to mend family bridges of communication which had been burned by his moody outbursts.
I’ve never really focused on my bad moods…how much I affect others’ emotions and moods with my mood. Until we’ve talked, Dennis, I never really thought how I’ve affected people in that way. If somebody likes me fine, if they don’t like me who cares? My kids seldom talk to me, and my wife says she has quit trying to talk, too. Until we came here, I didn’t know my family was that afraid of me and my anger outbursts. We’re definitely moving in the right direction, but I still feel too much anger inside, too much of the time.
YOU MUST OWN UP TO YOUR POSITIVE POWER
You can be a happy-go-lucky person at work and a moody mess at home. That’s called a split personality! Negative Instigator communicators who are MOODY at work or home come across like this…
• Irritable
• Lead by anger and fear
• Boastful, pushy, cocky, over-confident
• Condescending
• “My way or the highway….”
• Intolerant, poor listeners
• Doesn’t take criticism well
• Head strong, no personal connection
• Lacks respect for others’ ideas
• Not a team player
YOU MAKE YOUR MOOD
We have more control over our moods than we previously thought possible. You can cater to a bad mood and feed it all sorts of junk, or you can strive to soothe yourself when you’re feeling bad. Here’s what a positive mood consists of, in the Empathizer world…
• Understanding
• Lead by positive “we can do” attitude; inspiring
• Compassionate and passionate
• Good listener; affable
• Effectively communicate your ideas back to you
• Approach-able; caring
• Respectful and trustworthy
• Easy to deal with
• Maintains self-control under pressure
• Open to constructive criticism
• Team player
You create the climate. Are you creating a happy environment, one filled to the brim with productivity and goal achievement, and one which is useful for all who sit around your Communicator Table? One that’s a stress-free comfort zone where you don’t mind being? I know so….
MAKE MY MOOD
Some tips to work with your mood so it doesn’t work against others and yourself:
1. Notice your mood. Keep a journal. Watch how people are watching you, or if they walk on eggshells around you.
2. Count the costs of your bad mood so you’ll be motivated to change. Your bad mood will reduce productivity by at least 40% and it will restrict relationship development.
3. Write a Mood-Maker Visionary statement. Write down what kind of positive climate you wish to create at home or on your work team…same thing.
4. Find a personal communications coach who will talk straight to you, and make sure to relay your family members’ observations while you’re there.
5. Admit how much your mood impacts the moods of others. People around you believe that you are a Highly Influential Communicator. You feel that your fear and anger aren’t very good leadership partners.
How much do you affect others’ moods? To be productive, you must be in a good mood. A good mood is necessary for goal achievement, personal and company growth, teambuilding, and relationship development. If all that’s true, are you willing to pay the steep price of a bad mood day?
ARE YOU DRIVING WITH A MOOD BLIND SPOT?
Respectful, accurate feedback corrects the “blind spot” that occurs while driving under the influence of a bad mood. In fact, a bad mood is akin to having a huge blind spot in your rear view mirror as you drive down I-75 in rush hour traffic – you look ahead, behind you and where you plan to go, then proceed to change lanes quickly, only to discover that a metal beast is right there where you intended to go! Off you slide into an expensive ditch with other drivers and your fellow passengers probably thinking you’re a bad driver, but they’re too afraid to tell you because they’re apprehensive of road rage…or a bad mood explosion.
DISCOVER YOUR INNER STRENGTH!
THE TALK2ME© COMMUNICATION SYSTEM—DAYTON, OH. The result of effective communication? Proven Profitability! “Talk Doc” Dennis O’Grady customizes business programs for customer-centered communication. Past programs designed and developed for major corporate clients have resulted in supervisors, managers and executives elevating their communication strengths. Learning how to push leadership down the ranks through positive and effective communication awareness and education is the way that leaders lead by example. Let Dr. O’Grady empower your leaders with his innovative roadmap of communicator types (which one are you?) to build a climate of trust and respect in your organization. Give your employees every chance to succeed–their success becomes the future for your company.