Your Emotional State Is Contagious. That’s a Leadership Responsibility.

A calm center in a fast-paced environment.

One of the most powerful things I have seen in leadership is how much a leader’s emotional state influences the people around them. Last week, during listening sessions on a production floor, I saw this in the best possible way.

During that visit, I spent time with staff and supervisors at a client’s production plant. I was inspired by their deep commitment to producing a quality product and meeting production targets. I also gained a clearer appreciation for how demanding the work is: constant movement, shifting priorities, and little space to reset.

In that environment, one factor made the biggest positive impact on staff: the supervisors’ mood, outlook, and ability to help people feel seen and appreciated. In other words, how their supervisors managed their emotions.

This connected directly to Ethan Kross’s new book Shift. As a mental fitness and emotional intelligence coach, I gravitate toward research that helps people channel resilience and regulate their inner world. Kross’s earlier book Chatter was a favorite during the pandemic for its practical tools.

Shift goes a level deeper, focusing on how we manage our emotions. A key insight for me from the book is that exceptional leaders know how to shift their emotional state and this has a significant impact on their teams. Kross identifies six types of “shifters” that help us do this. Below are the six shifters along with practical examples from my experience.

Internal shifters (the ones that come from within you)

1. Sensation shifters Use sensory input to influence mood or focus. PQ Reps (from Positive Intelligence) interrupt emotional reactivity in under 10 seconds. For example: rub the tips of your index finger and thumb together and focus on the sensation. I use this before facilitating sessions or when something triggers my threat response so I can be present and respond intentionally rather than reactively.

2. Attention shifters Redirect focus toward what you can control. A simple interrupt is asking, “What is the one most impactful action I can take right now?”

3. Perspective shifters Reframe how you see a situation. Ask yourself, “Looking back 10 years from now, what will matter most about this?” Personally meaningful mantras help too. One of my favorites to call upon before high-stakes moments is Billie Jean King’s brilliant wisdom that “Pressure is a Privilege.”

External shifters (the ones that come from the world around you)

4. Space shifters Change your physical environment. Step into a calmer spot, look at something green, or take a one-minute walk to reset.

5. People shifters Lean on supportive relationships. Kross describes building an “emotional advisory board,” a small group of compassionate people who help you regain perspective. These are the people who ask the right questions, listen well, and reflect back what you might not be seeing.

6. Culture shifters Use shared values or norms to create alignment. At the plant, supervisors described how connecting daily work to company values helped people stay motivated. One supervisor said his main goal is helping each person see that they matter; another links recognition and corrective feedback to the organization’s values for broader context.

Why this matters

According to research from the Workforce Institute published in Forbes, in many workplaces, managers exert more influence over their team’s mental health than a doctor or therapist. Neuroscience helps explain why. Your emotional state does not stay private. Through mirror neurons and emotional contagion, your team picks up what you are feeling. Your emotional presence becomes part of your team’s climate. Managing yourself is a powerful way to support your team’s well-being and shape a healthier, more productive environment for everyone around you.

Takeaways for leaders

● Your emotional energy is contagious; people feel you before they hear you.

● Emotional regulation is a leadership act that strengthens team stability.

● Small, consistent shifts in your presence have an outsized impact.

● Model the emotional steadiness you want others to practice.

● Your presence often outweighs your expertise.

Closing reflection

Being on the plant floor reminded me of something important: leadership isn’t defined by pressure. It is defined by how we meet it. The supervisors who had the biggest impact were the ones who managed their emotions with intention, creating steadiness, openness, and connection for their teams. Every leader has access to these tools. The real differentiator is using them consistently and with purpose.