Enthusiasm - Catch It!

I often ask groups of people about enthusiasm - trainers, leaders, coaches, and those who interact with Customers. I ask them if they think enthusiasm is contagious. Their answer is always an emphatic and nearly unanimous (and often enthusiastic) "Yes!".

I agree with that answer.

And, apparently so does my friend Jim Brosseau, the Principal of Clarrus, an organization that helps software developers and the firms they work for be more successful.

In his latest email newsletter, The Compendium, he relates a story about meeting some people canvassing for their cause. After the story he writes,

"While I still don't buy in to the evangelistic single-approach-for-all, I gained an appreciation for how we can be carried forward with our enthusiasm, and that being careful in how we splash this energy on those around us can serve us well.

I carried this thought into the training session we had that week, and I'll be damned if it wasn't by far the most positive engagement I've had to date with that very large organization . . .

. . . one of the key drivers for the success was the enthusiasm for the topic that the group's planners carried into the session - they had poured the last couple years of their lives into tuning the topic, and it showed. Even though they were relatively low-key instructors, they clearly believed in their message, and knew its adoption would make a significant difference for the group.

Enthusiasm can indeed be infectious in a group setting, whether the team is pumped up for building a cool new product, or making the big sale, or kicking the competition's butt. A few people will get it started and the energy passes along to the others. Generally, once you get beyond a core group, enthusiasm can be difficult to sustain, and you will often need a conscious effort to prevent it from being diluted.

Enthusiasm is not something you can mandate into the group, it requires a common motivation and is something that is best seeded through action rather than words. When you’ve got it, do what you can to feed it, to keep it going. Channel it, never crush it - the output from an enthusiastic team can be absolutely phenomenal."

(You can read his full post here and while you are there - sign up to receive his Compendium email each week)

I could tell similar stories from training situations and in everyday life. Jim is exactly right.

Not everyone's enthusiasm will look the same. I'm not enthusiastic in the same ways as a cheerleader, and you certainly don't want don't emulate my style either. If you want to be enthusiastic, be yourself. Let your passion and interest show. Take action based on that passion and your enthusiasm will grow.

It is completely true that enthusiasm is contagious.

So is the opposite.

The question is... which are you spreading to your team, your Customers, and anyone you interact with?