Think for a moment about ‘atmosphere’. Every room has an atmosphere – it could be bright or dark, hot or cold, pleasant or smelly. So does every family, every team, every school, and every workplace. That atmosphere is usually the composite result of the people in that group or of its strongest influencers.

Two particular instruments deal with atmospheres.

First there is a thermometer, which measures the temperature of a particular room. If the room is hot, the thermometer goes up. If the room is cold, it goes down. It is a reactive instrument.

Then there is a thermostat. In contrast to a thermometer, it is a proactive instrument. If the room is hot, it can cause it to cool down. If the room is cold, it can help warm it up.

What about you? Are you a thermometer or a thermostat?

I want to encourage you to be a thermostat, someone who knows how to help cool down a situation that has become heated (you know what I am talking about!) and someone who knows how to warm up a situation that has become cool or even icy (again, you know what I am talking about!).

Influencer – think about it. This is Mark Conner

MLK