Welcome to The Balanced Leader Podcast, where we tackle the ultimate challenge for leaders: achieving peak performance without sacrificing your wellbeing. If you’re ready to lead with clarity, energy, and impact—without burning out—then you’re in the right place.

I’m Rob Hills, your leadership and wellbeing coach, and in each episode, I’ll give you the insights, tools and strategies that will enable you to thrive. So lets dive into todays episode. 

Today I want to talk about the ripple effect of leadership and how you, as a leader, impact those around you. I want to look at it from 2 levels, the micro and the macro.

Let’s start with the micro, I have a saying which I’ve used a lot over the years in leadership programs. Never underestimate the impact your mood has on your team. As a leader, people are looking at you for cues about safety and organisational wellbeing. If you walk in the office in a bad mood, it may have nothing to do with the team but they are going to pick up on that. If they are sensitive or reflective, they might wonder “is it me, is that why they are in a bad mood”? Now your bad mood can be for any number of reasons, had a fight with your spouse before you left home, couldn’t find a carpark or barista stuffed up your coffee order. But the people around you don’t know that, all they see is the angry face and the all they feel is a bad vibe. 

This is backed up by neuroscience, and they use the term emotional contagion. This is where people unconsciously mimic and internalise the emotional experiences of those around them, especially leaders. But that’s not all, there are also these things called mirror neurons. Mirror neurons are brain cells that activate both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else doing the same, which allows us to empathise and understand others’ emotions. So if you’re in a bad mood your team may unconsciously mirror that negativity, affecting overall morale and productivity across the entire team. 

All because you couldn’t find a car park!

So just pause for a second and think, have I ever been in a situation where this has happened to me? Where a boss or a colleague has come into the workplace in a bad mood and everyone in the team has caught the bad mood. No one’s talking, no one’s joking around, the air is so tense you could cut it with a knife! Not fun right?!?

Now, is there a chance that this has ever been you? I’m sure you didn’t mean to, but you couldn’t shake your bad mood before coming into the office and this has had a negative impact on the team!

My best advice here is to check out Episode 24 with Dr Adam Fraser where he talks about the third space. There are definitely actions you can take to reflect, rest and reset so you don’t bring your bad mood to work!

Ok, that’s the micro, let’s zoom out a little bit now to the macro!

Every interaction you have as a leader has has the potential to create exponentially positive or negative outcomes. One conversation may change the trajectory of a persons career or even their life. 

Think of this as the Butterfly Effect, one small seemingly inconsequential action can create massive, unpredictable positive or negative changes somewhere down the line. And sometimes the impact isn’t felt for years to come, in fact you may never even know about it! 

There are so many examples from history, where someone in a position of power gave extra of themselves and the impact changed the course of history. 

In a small rural classroom in Mississippi during the 1950s, a young girl sat quietly, carrying the weight of poverty and uncertainty. Her life seemed constrained by circumstances beyond her control. But everything changed when her teacher looked beyond her external situation and saw something extraordinary inside her.

This teacher was different from others. She didn’t just teach lessons from textbooks; she saw potential where others saw limitation. With careful encouragement, she introduced the young girl to books, challenged her to speak up, and consistently affirmed her intelligence. The teacher’s belief was transformative – she told the child she was “gifted” at a time when such words were rarely spoken to children from her background. Those simple affirmations became seeds of confidence that would grow into something remarkable. Decades later, this girl would become a global media icon, philanthropist, and inspiration to millions. She has changed the lives of countless people herself. Her name? Oprah Winfrey.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ and Oprah says, without Mrs Duncan her fourth grade teacher, she would not have been able to do any of it!

So here’s my challenge to you this week. 

Become intentionally aware of the ripple effect you’re creating. Every interaction, every conversation, every moment of leadership is an opportunity to create positive change. It doesn’t have to be grand or dramatic. Sometimes it’s as simple as showing up with intention, with empathy, or genuine care.

Before you walk into any room – whether it’s a team meeting, a one-on-one conversation, or even a quick interaction in the hallway – pause for just a moment. Ask yourself: “how can I serve in this moment?”

Remember Oprah’s story. Mrs Duncan had no idea she was shaping a future that would impact millions. She was simply showing up, seeing potential, and believing in a child when no one else did.

Your leadership is no different. You might not see the immediate impact. The seeds you plant today might not bloom for years. But they will bloom.

Leadership isn’t about perfection. It’s about intention. It’s about understanding that your mood, your words, your actions – they’re not just momentary experiences. They’re powerful catalysts that can reshape futures.

So this week, lead with that understanding. Lead with the knowledge that every small action creates waves far beyond what you can immediately see.

That’s it for todays episode. I hope you have found it useful. If you haven’t already make sure you follow the show and leave us a review on the platform you’re currently listening on. Enjoy the rest your day and I look forward to speaking with you next time.