Infect the group with productive emotions. In the group setting, people
are naturally more emotional and permeable to the moods of others.
You must work with human nature and turn this into a positive by
infecting the group with the proper set of emotions. People are more
susceptible to the moods and attitudes of the leader than of anyone
else. Productive emotions would include calmness. Phil Jackson, the
most successful basketball coach in history, noticed that a lot of other
coaches would try to rev up the team before a game, get them excited
and even angry. He found it much more productive to instill a sense of
calmness that helped the players execute the game plan and not
overreact to the ups and downs in the game. As part of this strategy,
always keep the group focused on completing concrete tasks, which
will naturally ground and calm them.
Infect the group with a sense of resolution that emanates from you.
You are not upset by setbacks; you keep advancing and working on
problems. You are persistent. The group senses this, and individuals
feel embarrassed for becoming hysterical over the slightest shift in
fortune. You can try to infect the group with confidence, but be careful
that this does not slip into grandiosity. Your confidence and that of the
group mostly stems from a successful track record. Periodically change
up routines, surprise the group with something new or challenging.
This will wake them up and stir them out of the complacency that can
settle into any group that achieves success.
Most important, showing a lack of fear and an overall openness to
new ideas will have the most therapeutic effect of all. The members will
become less defensive, which encourages them to think more on their
own, and not operate as automatons.