Your emotions as a boss can profoundly affect your team

Leaders want to hire top talent, but leadership and executive coach Veronique Bogliolo writes that if the focus shifts to creating winning teams based on common values, shared expectations and trust, they will enjoy more overall success in the long run. Switching from an "I" to "we" team mindset also prevents top talent from burning out while giving other team members the space to step forward and shine, Bogliolo notes.

Put it into practice: Leaders must set clear values, structures and expectations to build a solid foundation of trust for teams so they can do their best but also make mistakes and learn together, Bogliolo writes. "In the end, trust creates the kind of healthy debate and productivity that we will never see in teams operating in a trust deficit."

Whether you're feeling cheerful or negative, your mood as a leader affects how those around you feel and how productive they are, according to a recent study from LSE, meaning a consistently positive boss creates a more positive culture. "Working with an up-and-down boss can be tricky because our own emotions start to go up and down with theirs," writes executive coach Adi Gaskell.

Put it into practice: Leaders should be more aware of their emotions and try to be more positive, Gaskell suggests, and workers should be mindful of how the boss influences their feelings. "If the boss is happy a lot, it's like a boost for us. But if the boss is often grumpy, it might be smart to keep some distance emotionally."

Use employee surveys to identify which managers are proactively helping their team advance their careers and which ones are "career blockers," not to punish or reward, but to identify areas that need improvement and training, writes Mark Murphy, the CEO of Leadership IQ. "Whether that's through coaching, training, mentoring, or accountability, you want to triage the managers most in need of help and get them turned around quickly," Murphy writes.

Put it into practice: Only some managers will find it easy to help their team members advance their careers, Murphy notes, but it should be fine. "As long as the manager gives valuable feedback, provides stretch assignments, delivers coaching and training, and is generally invested in the employee's success, stylistic mismatches will be of secondary importance."

As the saying goes, "There's no time like the present," and tackling what needs to be done at this moment can provide motivation to get more done, whether it's answering emails, having a needed conversation, giving compliments or starting a new diet or exercise regimen, writes Jim VandeHei, a co-founder and CEO of Axios. "If you plunge in, you realize instantly if you need course correction or follow-up, instead of pushing the distraction or disruption down the road," VandeHei writes.

As many married couples can attest, sometimes you want to toss your spouse down a hill. Each year, in Japan, they do just that -- tossing the husband down a snowy hill where he's greeted by his wife. The tradition is meant to strengthen marital bonds along with another ritual of smearing charcoal on each other's faces to attract good health.

My first job in television was as an associate producer on a local morning news show in Atlanta. It was the first time in my career that I learned the value of teamwork. Before this job, I had been a radio DJ, news reporter, anchor and talk show host -- all jobs that required mainly independent work.

At the TV station, though, teamwork was vital. I was part of the crew in the studio, helping to bring in live shots from reporters in the field, writing news and helping video editors put pieces together. Even the "stars" of the show -- the news anchors, weatherpeople and others who appeared on camera -- pitched in whenever needed. We had to work as one unit to create a quality show together. No one person was responsible for pulling off a good show.

We had everything Veronique Bogliolo writes about -- a team culture based on shared values, clarity about our roles and a rock-solid trust that each of us would do our job to the best of our abilities. What we created together was an award-winning morning show.

Teamwork and trust were key in creating that culture. If your company culture relies too heavily on one or two stars to get the job done, it's time to reevaluate and find ways to allow others on your team to step up and shine.

How do you create teams based on trust and shared values? Tell me.

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