Why is morale important?

Genuine happiness is like a garden, it must be cultivated and weeded regularly. Unhelpful thoughts and painful perceptions can crop up all the time, in the world there are many things that want to take away our happiness. When confronted with a problem, it makes us unhappy and we attend to the problem. If our morale is at a low, it's possible that we no longer attend our problems and therefore unhappiness grows further. So like a keen gardener, we make regular effort to maintain our state of mind by addressing our problems and by refusing to grow thoughts that cause us to feel down.


Happiness isn't just about you though. The people around us want to be happy too. Even if they work directly under you, their happiness is important. Here is a list of reasons that show why the happiness of those around you is a priority.


Happy People Enjoy Themselves What Ever They Do


You want productive people in your team? They need to be happy. Most of us can cope with depressive people around us but it requires effort. We are continually tolerating exchanges of energy which drain our morale. When people around us are happy, there is no longer this draining effect. We can get on with solving our own and shared problems. We want the people around us to be glad to work and glad to co-operate with you. Happiness makes this possible.


Happy People Are More Imaginative


Using the brain takes energy. If we're unhappy it's likely that we are spending energy on blocking out unhelpful thoughts. To be imaginative we need to be able to use our mental freedom. When we're happy we are more able to think about inventive and new ways of looking at then solving our problems.


Happy People Don't Hide Their Mistakes


No-one likes making a mistake or being mistaken. If a person is unhappy to begin with, they will likely take their errors personally and they'll become vectors for shame or anger. They may even fear the repercussions. When we don't take our errors seriously we lose quality and bring the team down. When happy people make mistakes they are more likely to accept it, make amends, and learn.


Happy People Help Each Other


When you have a goal to achieve you want positive support. The bigger the goal, the more support you'll need. Unhappy people tend to radiate pessimism and weakness. They don't project confidence. We won't be effective if those around us are providing unhelpful input. Happy people understand that happiness is essential and thereforesay and do things that promote happiness. They take problems seriously and offer genuine support while working to their best abilities.


Happy People Take Better Risks


The world of art is risky, business in general is full of risk. We have to take risks and put our faith in our skills and our ability to connect with our customers. If we are happy, we are more likely to take risks within our scope of possible. Unhappy people can find themselves playing a lottery with desperate efforts in a hope to get a win. This is because the perception of the problem and the path to its solution are distorted through pessimism and unhappiness.


Happiness Reduces Stress


Stress is a major contributor to failure. Often it's not the problem that's the problem, it's the tool. We have to maintain ourselves and keep ourselves prim in order to provide the service our customers deserve. Happiness is integral to this process. Stressed out and unhappy people don't want to spend time on anything new, they don't want any fuss, they just want to do their thing and go home. This kind of team-member isn't going to perform as well as you need them to.


Happiness Is Contagious


One person's happiness is another person's joy. We like being around happy people, they inspire us to be happy, and they make us feel at ease in our environment. This all matters for the team, for the customer, for the world in general.    


Make Friends With Yourself

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Be the kind of person that others want to be around. Make peace with your flaws by taking responsibility for them. You can learn more by taking this online course.

​More people have an audible voice than ever before. With opinions from multiple perspectives challenging the status quo on all sides, it's the consumer who decides which ideas proliferate. Which paper do you read, which blog do you read, what music do you listen to, which news network do you subscribe to, what brand of product do you put your money into? Each brand represents a voice, and we as responsible customers choose ones that resonate with our own views. We need to appreciate the shifting tides in what is seen as respectable and what is not.


Perhaps in the past, a good leader has been defined on how well they can hold their vision, their picture of the world. They then create products and ideas that fit this vision and market them. This has worked when positioned well and repeatedly advertised again and again, customers grow to be interested over time. Now though, things are not quite the same. We have a lot more on offer from a lot more varied sources. Perhaps this has diluted the quality somewhat but there are many plus sides. Equality is vastly improved with modern technology, and it is only education level and ability to manage the technology that truly sets one apart from another when given an equal voice platform.


Leaders have to adapt to a much more dynamic set of guidelines. The consumer market is no longer as directable as it once was, because we have gradually learned to be more savvy and to show more consumer responsibility. Progressive leadership allows us to lead in an environment that is much less in our control. It provides a system that enables a power structure to remain for practical purposes yet empowers the whole in a mirror image of the consumer market being produced for.


Here are four vital elements to consider when leading a path in the modern and progressive age.


Take Your Time


You're a leader, you set an example with your work and relationships. These things stick around in people's minds and serve as templates for their own efforts. So make sure you do things really well, taking time to get everything right. You don't have to rush or do a dozen jobs per day. Just get the main thing done as well as you can then begin planning on the next one. It matters that you don't resonate panic or reluctance to get stuck in, you are what the others look to for support.


Embrace Diversity


Don't just look for people who share your vision, find those who expand it or bring new dimensions to it. The world is a diverse and multicultural place with an almost infinite number of directions an idea can go. Who and what is this for? A diverse team of different personalities can help enrich this process of discovery.


Stop Being A Know-It-All


No-one is a know-it-all, only it feels good to be considered an intellectual authority. We can sometimes get caught up in this sensation and rank that we stop being able to learn. If we think we already know the answer, the truth can stare us in the face and we won't see it. There'll be some excuse or non-related reason that prevents us from acknowledging the reality.


Work To Serve


We are not bosses who instruct and demand, no-one really wants to work for people like that. Perhaps some of us need to, if they lack the self-drive to get things done – who knows? Yet, as a progressive leader we work to serve. Our product is a service whether we make food or write a blog. We make something happen in the world that other people want. This is how we earn money isn't it? The top of the ladder still points in the same direction as the lower steps, and a progressive leader knows this. They do things in the way they want at the advice of those around them, acknowledging the guidance of those with more experience. When someone comes to you for leadership, be the prop that holds them up not the weight that holds them down.  

Have something to add or take away from this list? You have the comments!

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