By the end of my first year as president of Starcom MediaVest Group—a global advertising and media company—I’d traveled 500,000 miles while managing over 100 offices across the globe. I had also learned the staggering cost of excess stress. Just one example: I was grinding my teeth so badly at night that I needed six root canals. A problem for me, yes. But also a problem for those I was leading. It became clear to me then that when leaders are overwhelmed and depleted, we’re going to consume the energy of those around us.
Effective leaders understand the importance of maintaining and sharing positive emotional energy. It sets the tone for workplace culture, motivates teams, and creates space for innovation. To achieve that, though, we have no choice but to
