Emotions Science Simplified: How Intense Should Leadership Emotion Be?
Welcome to Emotions Science Simplified! Let's explore how the intensity of leaders’ unpleasant affective displays shapes team performance.
Research Spotlight:
Leadership isn’t just about strategy and vision. It’s also about emotion. The way leaders express their emotions can shape team performance, motivation, and culture. But how much is too much? This fascinating study by Barry M. Staw, Katherine A. DeCelles, and Peter de Goey dives into this question, analysing 304 halftime locker room speeches from high school and college basketball coaches.
The Big Idea
The research found that leaders’ unpleasant emotional expressions—like frustration, anger, or disappointment can actually boost team performance, but only to a point. Beyond a certain intensity, these displays can backfire, demotivating teams instead.
This creates a curved relationship (an inverted U-shape) between unpleasant emotional intensity and team performance:
- Mild expressions of frustration don’t get much of a response.
- Moderate intensity can drive effort and focus.
- Extreme intensity shifts attention away from performance and toward the leader’s behaviour—reducing motivation.
Key Takeaways for Leaders
- A little bit of frustration can be a good thing – Teams need to feel a sense of urgency and drive to improve.
- Too much negative emotion becomes the focus – If leaders express anger too intensely, the team tunes out or reacts negatively.
- Balance is key – The best leaders know how to use emotion strategically, delivering their message with just the right intensity to drive action without overwhelming or alienating their team.
A Standout Quote from the Research
“At moderate intensity, leaders’ unpleasant affective displays can redirect teams’ attention to problems and resolutions, increasing performance; yet, highly intense displays may divert teams’ attention away from the problem and its resolution, decreasing performance.” – Staw, DeCelles, & de Goey
The Science in Action
This study explains why some famously intense leaders, like basketball coach Gregg Popovich or military leaders like General George Patton, achieved great results despite their tough emotional style. But it also highlights the risk: when emotional intensity crosses a certain threshold, it stops driving performance and starts hurting it.
For leaders in any field, whether in sports, business, or education, this research is a reminder to use emotion wisely (or strategically). A well-placed display of frustration can fuel motivation, but unchecked intensity can break team cohesion.
Download » Click here to access the research paper
