Just like how you should always praise nice people.

One of my recent unlocks as a leader was taking ownership of "Chief Vibes Officer." I've focused on the hard skills as a leader - be present, listen, process fast, be decisive and communicate well. These are things that I am also naturally good at. So, in 2025, I wanted to put some reps into something that I wasn't good at. Whatever the ultimate reason for this might, I always overlooked being responsible for the vibes of an environment because of the ultimate belief that ultimately each individual is responsible for their own vibe.

Turns out, that's not entirely true. Human emotions are influenced by the animal need to want to belong. When they see a certain environment, it's human tendency to want to ape and be part of it. So, as you grow as a leader, ultimately you will need to be responsible for the culture you are developing.

Now, especially in these situations, you cannot dictate a culture or mood that you want the environment to be in. However, like in gardening, you need to setup the scaffolding to guide the human behavior you espouse, want, validate, curate and weed out the negative behavior you don't want.

But, a simple, yet powerful thing is to make sure to always bring the ice cream.

Spreading joy is simple, yet powerful. For the one that needs it hte most, it can be lifechanging and for the one that's already joyful, it's a powerful motivator to share. Put another way, spreading joy has nothing but viral and compounding efforts.

It's not a panacea. It's not going to fundamentally change the crux of the environment you might find yourself in. However, it will certainly bring about a moment of sharing and a moment of comfort and a moment of peace even during war time.

So, even when you are on a strict diet to not dessert, make sure to always bring the ice cream, ideally on Fridays, in person. But if you can't at least whenever you meet your team. Treat your team and make them feel like they are part of a community you care about. 🍨