Why Your Team’s Energy Depends on This One Leadership Question

Sometimes at work, things go wrong.

That’s normal.

Change is constant, and with it comes stress, uncertainty, and some bad or frustrating days.

We all go through ups and downs.

How Leaders Set the Tone (Without Realizing It)

But here’s the thing.

As a leader, you set the tone.

If you are negative all the time, what tone does that set for your people?

If you’re constantly talking about what’s broken, what’s unfair, or what’s going wrong, your team will follow your lead, whether you realize it or not.

When Focusing on Problems Backfires

Here is an example.

I was working recently with a client, let’s call her Tina! She leads a busy team in a fast-changing environment.

Tina is sharp, dedicated, and deeply cares about her people.

But she came to me exhausted, saying, “Everything feels like it’s going wrong. Nothing is moving fast enough, and I’m constantly putting out fires.”

As we talked, it became clear that in every meeting, Tina was sharing all the problems that needed fixing.

She didn’t mean to, but she was focusing so much on what was broken that her team started to feel defeated.

They stopped bringing forward new ideas and waited for Tina to point out what was wrong.

If you’re constantly talking about what’s broken, your team will follow your lead, whether you realize it or not.

The Simple Question That Changes Everything

So, I gave Tina a small but powerful shift:

Instead of focusing on everything that’s going wrong, I asked her to pause and ask:

“What could be going right?”

It sounds simple, but it changed everything for her.

She started team meetings by asking her people to share small wins.

She looked for what was working well before diving into what needed fixing.

Slowly, the energy on her team began to change.

People felt seen for what they were doing right, and they brought more solutions forward.

Why “What Could Be Going Right?” Works

This question doesn’t ignore challenges, but it helps you and your team look for opportunities, momentum, and progress happening alongside the chaos.

Your Next Step: Try It This Week

The next time things feel heavy, pause and ask yourself:

What could be going right?

Then watch how your mindset and the tone you set for your team start to shift.