What You Bring Into the Room Matters More Than You Think

Before we talk about skills, performance, accountability or results, we need to talk about something more foundational: what people bring with them emotionally to work every day.

Culture doesn’t live in policies, frameworks or values posters.

It lives in moments, in meetings, conversations, emails, reactions.

Every time we enter a space, we bring emotional energy with us. Calm. Tension. Curiosity. Excitement. Frustration. Others feel it immediately, often before a single word is spoken.

Emotional energy is contagious

Neuroscience tells us that humans are wired for emotional contagion. Our nervous systems read tone, body language, pace and facial expression faster than logic.

That means:

• One person’s stress can elevate an entire room

• One person’s steadiness can create psychological safety and comfort

This isn’t just a wellbeing issue, it’s a performance and psychosocial safety issue.

Threat responses at work

When people are under pressure, their threat responses show up in predictable ways:

• Fight – defensiveness, control, sharpness

• Flight – avoidance, withdrawal, procrastination

• Freeze – shutting down, disengaging

• Fawn – over-accommodating to keep the peace

These aren’t personality flaws. They’re automatic nervous system responses.

But when they become habitual, they shape the emotional climate of teams.

Why leadership presence matters more

Everyone contributes to the emotional climate, but leaders amplify it.

A leader’s emotional state can become either:

• A psychosocial risk factor, or

• A protective and supportive factor

Leadership presence isn’t about being positive all the time.
It’s about being regulated, clear and present, especially when things are hard.

A simple but powerful practice

Before your next meeting or conversation, pause and ask:

1. What am I feeling right now?

2. Where is that showing up in my body?

3. Is this the energy I want to bring into this space?

That pause creates choice.
And choice is where leadership lives.

When people become more aware of what they bring into the room:

• Meetings feel safer

• Conflict de-escalates faster

• Conversations become clearer

• Accountability becomes easier

Culture shifts when individuals do.

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