Never Quell Enthusiasm
Enthusiasm is the fuel that powers great sales teams. When people are excited about their work, they try harder, care more, and bounce back faster. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” He was right. Without energy, we stall. But when managers kill that energy, the whole team suffers. Engagement drops. Morale fades. And in outside sales, where momentum is everything, that damage is even worse.
Excited sellers bring more than skills. They bring heart. Gallup says companies with engaged teams are 21% more profitable. When leaders shut down enthusiasm, they crush that engagement. Sellers stop sharing ideas. They pull back. They do just enough to get by. Innovation stops. Risks disappear. And growth slows to a crawl. Morale is fragile. When leaders roll their eyes, ignore good ideas, or mock someone for being excited, people notice. Even if it’s not said out loud, the message is clear: “We don’t value your energy.” Over time, that kills trust. And when trust breaks, so does morale. SHRM (The Society for Human Resources Management) says trust in leadership is one of the biggest drivers of morale. Without it, the team crumbles.
When you shut down enthusiasm, you don’t just lose energy, you lose courage. Excited people take risks. They try new ideas. They go after big goals. But if that energy gets mocked or punished, it disappears. B.F. Skinner was an American psychologist and behaviorist. He is known for developing the theory of operant conditioning. This theory explains how rewards and punishments shape behavior. His work helped lay the foundation for modern behavior psychology. He influenced everything from education to workplace management. He proved that if you punish a behavior, it tends to fade. What’s left? Fear. Silence. People stop speaking up. Stop reaching out. Stop trying. The room gets quiet. Not because there’s nothing to say, but because no one feels safe saying it. That’s how risk dies.
That’s how growth stops. This hits hard in outside sales. Sellers live in a world of rejection. We hear “no” more than most people hear “hello.” That’s why belief matters. Enthusiasm isn’t a bonus; it’s a survival skill. Zig Ziglar nailed it: “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.” If a seller’s emotional tank runs dry, they’ve got nothing to give. No spark. No pull. And if the buyer doesn’t feel it, they don’t move. Sales dip. Trust fades. Momentum disappears. And the whole team feels it.
According to the Sales Management Association, sales teams with high morale outperform others. Often, this performance gap is 20% to 25%. That is not a rounding error. That is a real impact. Enthusiasm isn’t a luxury. It’s a lever. It drives performance, fuels persistence, and keeps teams in motion. When leaders ignore that, they risk killing the very thing that powers their results. You can’t crush spirit and expect production. You can’t douse energy and expect fire. If you pour water on the flame, don’t be shocked when there’s no heat, only smoke, silence, and missed goals.
Energy is contagious. One excited seller can lift an entire room. That spark spreads, from call to call and meeting to meeting. Harvard Business Review calls it “emotional contagion,” and it’s real. Winning teams don’t just share goals. They share energy. That’s why leaders matter. When a manager smiles, encourages, and shows real excitement, the team rises. But when they roll their eyes or say nothing at all, the signal is just as strong, and just as damaging. Energy either spreads or shrinks. And it starts with leadership, every single time.
Gallup reports that only 23% of employees are engaged at work. That’s less than one in four. The rest? They’re coasting. Doing the bare minimum to skate by. And when their energy is ignored, they disengage completely. Productivity drops. Absenteeism rises. Turnover kicks in. And that’s not only frustrating, but it is also expensive. The Center for American Progress estimates it costs 20% of a worker’s salary to replace them. Letting enthusiasm fade isn’t only a morale problem. It’s a financial one. And the company pays the price every time.
Creativity fades fast when enthusiasm disappears. Excited people speak up. They experiment. They bring fresh ideas to the table. Albert Einstein said, “Creativity is intelligence having fun.” But if people worry that they will be mocked or dismissed, they go silent. No more bold thinking. No more smart risks. It is the same old safe talk. Meetings drag. Sales pitches sound the same. And results suffer. Because without creativity, you don’t stand out. And in sales, if you don’t stand out, you lose.
Culture isn’t what’s printed on the wall. It’s what people feel when they show up. It’s shaped by how leaders behave, not what they say. Support energy, and you create a culture of momentum, creativity, and growth. But kill that energy—roll your eyes, dismiss enthusiasm, and you build a culture of fear and silence. Peter Drucker nailed it: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” You can have the smartest plan in the world. But if the culture is toxic, it won’t matter. Because no one will have the energy to carry it out.
In sales, energy isn’t optional; it’s armor. Rejection is constant. “No” is the norm. Without enthusiasm, sellers can’t push through. They need that inner fire to get back up and try again. Take that away, and everything changes. Confidence slips. Doubt creeps in. Burnout sets in. What happens next is all the good people walk out the door. It is not because they lacked talent, but because they ran out of fuel. Leaders who ignore this aren’t protecting their teams. They’re weakening them. One quiet day at a time.
People want to feel valued. O.C. Tanner is a company that specializes in employee recognition and workplace culture. It has been doing this for almost one hundred years. They provide tools and services that help organizations celebrate achievements. Call it employee appreciation gifts and experiences. Their research reveals that 79% of people who quit say it’s because they didn’t feel appreciated. Excited sellers want to belong. If their energy is ignored, they feel rejected. That pain runs deep.
Confidence matters. It’s the fuel behind every strong pitch, every bold ask, every closed deal. Sellers need to believe in themselves before they can convince anyone else. But when leaders tear down their energy, whether through silence, sarcasm, or skepticism, self-doubt creeps in. And that doubt doesn’t hide. It shows up in tone, in timing, in the way a seller carries themselves. It weakens conversations. It slows momentum. Confidence sells. Doubt kills deals. And if you're not building belief in your team, you're breaking it.
The worst part? Most leaders don’t even realize they’re doing it. They think they’re being practical. They believe they are keeping expectations in check. But in trying to protect the team from disappointment, they strip away its drive. They confuse realism with limitation. And that confusion crushes energy. There’s a better way. You don’t have to smother excitement to stay grounded. Guide it. Shape it. Focus it. Help your team turn that spark into something steady. Because when you guide enthusiasm instead of killing it, you don’t lose control, you gain momentum.
Smart leaders get it. They don’t fear energy. They channel it. When a seller brings a bold idea, they don’t say, “Be realistic.” They say, “Let’s explore it.” They know momentum starts with belief. So, they listen. They encourage. They help turn raw excitement into real results. Because great leaders don’t shut people down. They lift them up. And in doing so, lift the whole team. Walt Disney said, “We keep moving forward, opening new doors, and doing new things, because we're curious. And curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.” Excitement and curiosity go hand in hand. Together, they build growth. If you protect energy, you protect progress. So, what can leaders do? Praise effort. Ask what excites your team. Match tasks with passion. Celebrate wins. Cheer on ideas. Build a space where energy is welcome.
In sales, this means praising every part of the sales cycle. It means giving excited sellers a chance to lead. Not every idea will work. But every voice should be heard. Selling is hard. If it were easy, everyone would do it. Respect the effort. Support the energy. When you do, you build something people want to be part of. Customers see it. Partners feel it. And your team thrives.
If you don’t, things break. Innovation slows. Engagement drops. Sales fall. And the best people leave. Jim Rohn said, “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” If those people are tired and drained, even your best workers fade.
Enthusiasm isn’t fluff. It’s power. It drives growth. And leaders should protect it. Especially in outside sales. Because when energy is high, anything is possible. Helen Keller said it best: “Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence.” Enthusiasm fuels both. Guard it well.
That kind of energy has a ripple effect. It doesn’t only stay in the sales department. It touches every part of the business. Operations move faster. Customer service sharpens. Marketing gets braver. Culture gets stronger. And that energy starts with how leadership treats the spark of enthusiasm. It’s not about being fake. It’s about being supportive. You don’t have to throw a pep rally. You have to let your team know that their drive is noticed. Their passion matters. Their excitement is fuel, not fluff.
Think about it. What happens when that excited new hire gets ignored? What message are you sending when someone brings a bold idea and leadership shrugs it off? It tells the team: energy isn’t welcome here. It teaches silence. It teaches caution. And slowly, the lights go out. But flip that. What happens when leadership leans in? When someone shares an idea, and the response is, “Tell me more.” When effort is praised, not brushed off. That tells the team: keep bringing the fire. We see it. We need it. We’re building something here.
And that’s the difference. You can build a team that survives, or one that thrives. A team that clocks in and out, or one that charges forward. That choice starts with how you handle enthusiasm. Take a look around. What are you feeding? Are you pouring water or gasoline? Are you building up your team or draining them dry? Enthusiasm is energy. Energy is movement. Movement is growth. And growth is what every sales team is chasing. Don’t kill the very thing that can get you there. Protect it. Promote it. Practice it. Because once you do, you won’t only see better numbers. You’ll see a better team.
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