You’ve heard it too… “The speed of the leader determine the speed of the people.” This is particularly true with regards to attitude.

A couple of quotes that support this line of thinking:

• “Organizations ‘catch’ the emotional outlook of the leader. Leaders’ enthusiasm, optimism, and energy ripple throughout their leadership constellation. Conversely, their discouragement, pessimism, and negativity also affect their followers. The leader sets the tone: upbeat, anxious, relaxed, stressed – whatever. That is why leaders must closely monitor the emotional signals they send out.” Reggie McNeal (Practicing Greatness)

• “It’s up to the leader to instill confidence, to believe in his judgment and in his people even when they no longer believe in themselves. Sometimes, the optimism of the leader is grounded in something only he knows – the situation isn’t as dire as people think for reasons that will eventually become clear. But sometimes the leader has to be optimistic simply because if he isn’t nobody else will be. And you’ve got to try to fight back, no matter how daunting the odds.” Rudy Giuliani (Leadership)