The Winter Olympics have just come to an end, and I noticed something important.
The influence of the audience on athletes’ performance.
A dynamic I had already felt very strongly during the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The crowds lining the marathon route.The stadiums vibrating.That palpable energy, almost physical.
It wasn’t just noise.It was a force.
That force carried athletes beyond themselves.And it also has the power to overwhelm them under pressure.
The crowd is not neutral.It amplifies. It crushes. It carries. It drains.
And this mechanism does not only apply to athletes.
We are all someone’s audience.
We talk a lot about the leader’s responsibility for collective energy.And rightly so.
An exhausted leader generates confusion.A leader under tension generates alertness.A depleted leader eventually drains those around them.
But it works both ways.
And that is where the topic becomes truly interesting.
A cynical team drains a leader.A culture of constant urgency keeps everyone in a state of hyperactivation.A collective that doubts weighs down every decision, every initiative, every risk-taking moment.
Energy circulates.It spreads.It amplifies.
And it is never purely individual.It is systemic.
It circulates through relationships, decisions, and collective dynamics.
What I observe in my work with teams is that nobody thinks of themselves as “the audience.”
We think of ourselves as actors, contributors, managers, team members.But rarely as a source of energy, or weight, for others.
And yet.
A presence can create safety or tension.In a meeting, each person can open the space… or close it down.In a collective, each person can encourage momentum… or slow it down.
We may not all have a title.But we all have an energetic impact.
And it is (highly) contagious.
This is not just a metaphor.It is a responsibility.
So, what kind of audience are you for the people who work with you?
Does your presence amplify the energy of the collective… or erode it?