As leaders, we are still human, and when I realized my mood or tone had made a negative impact, I apologized and restored the harm to those I had impacted negatively. I was mindful of the triggers that could change my energy from positive to negative and had a plan of action to correct that energy before interacting with others.

As leaders, it is important to be aware of the mood and energy you bring into the environment. If your energy is full of life, love, and light, that energy will help combat the negativity in the building. Your positive energy will seek out like energy that can help minimize the negativity in the environment. When you understand how your energy sets the mood in the environment; knowing that you are responsible for how you impact others.

Every day will not be a bed of roses, and the weight of being a leader will sometimes cause you to become frustrated A few years ago, I read an article in Forbes magazine and it made me change my thoughts and consider my tone differently. I had these affirmations posted on my wall and read them each day. Here is the abbreviated version of the five lessons Mandela taught the world about change and leadership. I hope they resonate with you like they did with me (Freiberg, 2018).

• Forgiveness is key to focusing forward.
• Expect change to be messy.
• Passion produces perseverance.
• Ending right vs. being right.
• Change begins from the inside out.