The Choice That Defines Your Leadership
"The ultimate measure of a leader is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand at times of challenge and controversy." - Martin Luther King Jr.
Walk into any workplace and within minutes, you can feel it. In some environments, there's an electric buzz of engagement - people collaborating with purpose, innovating fearlessly, supporting each other's growth. In others, you sense the weight of resignation - heads down, minimal interaction, just trying to get through another day.
What creates this stark difference? Often, it comes down to one crucial factor: the type of leaders present. Are they thermostats or thermometers?
Understanding the Metaphor
Think about the difference between these two instruments in your home. A thermometer simply reflects the temperature around it. It's purely reactive - when the room gets cold, it shows cold; when things heat up, it registers the change. A thermostat, on the other hand, actively sets the desired temperature and engages systems to maintain it, regardless of external conditions.
The same dynamic plays out in leadership every day. Some leaders act as thermometers - they simply reflect and react to the environment around them. Others function as thermostats - they intentionally set the tone and temperature of their culture, actively working to maintain it even when external pressures push against it.
The Thermometer Leader
We've all encountered thermometer leadership in action. It's the manager whose mood and standards shift with every change in the wind. When things are going well - a big sale just closed or senior leadership is happy - the energy is high and everything feels possible. But as soon as challenges arise - a missed target, an unhappy customer, or team conflict - that same leader becomes reactive, anxious, and starts lowering expectations. The team learns to constantly check which version of their leader they'll get today.
Thermometer leaders tend to:
Take their cues from whatever's happening around them, riding the waves of office politics and drama
Adjust their standards based on what others are doing rather than maintaining consistent principles
React to problems as they arise rather than anticipating and preventing them
Mirror the energy level and engagement of their team rather than elevating it
The challenge is that thermometer leaders create thermometer cultures - reactive environments where people feel constantly at the mercy of external circumstances. This breeds anxiety, disengagement, and a sense of powerlessness.
The Thermostat Leader
In contrast, consider how thermostat leaders operate during times of challenge. When market conditions get tough or major changes create uncertainty, they don't panic or abandon their principles. Instead, they gather their teams and reinforce what matters most: their values, their commitment to growth, and their focus on serving customers exceptionally well. By maintaining a steady, purposeful approach even as things get harder, they create stability that allows their teams to innovate and excel rather than just survive.
Thermostat leaders:
Proactively set the cultural temperature they want to maintain
Hold steady to their values and standards regardless of external pressure
Anticipate challenges and prepare their teams to handle them
Consistently model and cultivate the energy and engagement they expect
Making the Shift
The good news is that being a thermostat leader is a choice we can make every day. But let's be real - none of us consciously chooses to be a thermometer leader. And rarely are we entirely one or the other. Most of you reading this would say you're committed to being a thermostat leader, and if you're really self-aware, you recognize that sometimes you're just going with the flow, measuring the temperature, while other times you're actively setting it.
When we experience frustration, anxiety, or resignation, it's hard to muster the energy and courage to change the temperature - but that's exactly what leadership requires. The key is developing the mental fitness to shift from acting out of fear to acting out of your desire to help others (what the ancient Greeks called "agape" love).
Here are some key practices to help make that shift:
1 - Define Your Desired Temperature
What kind of culture do you want to create?
What values and behaviors really matter to you?
How do you want people to feel working in your environment?
2 - Install the Right Systems
What structures and practices will help maintain your desired culture?
How will you measure whether you're on track?
What early warning signs will tell you adjustments are needed?
3 - Maintain Steady Heat
How will you stay consistent when external pressures mount?
What personal practices will keep you centered and purposeful?
How will you help others maintain stability during uncertainty?
The Choice Is Yours
Every day, in countless small moments, we choose whether to be a thermometer or thermostat leader. When someone brings drama, do we get pulled in or maintain perspective? When pressure hits, do we react emotionally or respond purposefully? When standards slip, do we adjust down or hold steady?
The impact of this choice ripples far beyond us. Thermostat leaders create environments where people feel safe to innovate, empowered to grow, and inspired to contribute their best. They build cultures of sustainable excellence rather than reactive firefighting.
Take a moment to reflect: In your leadership today, are you acting more like a thermometer or a thermostat? What temperature are you setting for those around you?
The choice - and the impact - is yours.