The Power of a Positive Team: Chapter Two

Lesson Title: Creating a Contagious Positive Culture

Recommended Audience:

Athletic teams, classrooms, leadership groups, or workplace teams

Time Required:

60–75 minutes

Lesson Objective

Participants will:

Understand how attitudes spread within a team.

Recognize the impact of negativity on performance and relationships.

Identify behaviors that intentionally build a contagious positive culture.

Essential Question

What kind of culture are we spreading—intentionally or unintentionally?

Chapter Two Big Idea

Culture is not defined by posters, slogans, or mission statements.

It is defined by:

How people treat each other

How they respond to adversity

What behaviors are tolerated or corrected

Every team has emotional “contagion.” The only question is whether it spreads positivity or negativity.

Opening Activity (10 minutes): The Energy Check

Ask participants to rate, on a scale from 1–10:

The energy they usually bring into the team environment.

The energy they feel after being around the team.

Discuss:

Why do these numbers sometimes differ?

Who or what tends to raise or lower the energy?

Transition: Energy is transferable. Teams catch attitudes the way people catch colds.

Teaching Segment (15 minutes): The Contagion Principle

Explain three key truths from Chapter 2:

1. Emotions Spread Faster Than Words

People mirror:

Tone

Effort

Body language

Attitude

One consistently negative person can influence an entire group—but so can one consistently positive person.

2. Culture Is Built Through What We Allow

If negativity goes unchecked, it becomes normalized.

Examples of tolerated behaviors that shape culture:

Complaining without solutions

Blaming others

Lack of effort

Excluding teammates

Positive teams protect their culture by addressing behaviors early.

3. Positivity Is a Discipline, Not a Personality

Being positive does not mean:

Ignoring problems

Avoiding accountability

Pretending everything is fine

It means choosing:

Solutions over complaints

Ownership over excuses

Encouragement over criticism

Positive teams confront challenges—they just do it constructively.

Group Activity (20 minutes): Culture Audit

Divide participants into small groups.

Ask them to answer honestly:

Part A: What Helps Our Culture?

List behaviors currently strengthening the team:

Supporting teammates

Celebrating progress

Showing up prepared

Communicating respectfully

Part B: What Hurts Our Culture?

List behaviors weakening the team:

Negative side conversations

Lack of focus

Poor attitudes after mistakes

Avoiding responsibility

Groups then identify: Which behaviors spread the fastest?

Facilitator Insight: Negative actions spread quickly because they are easy. Positive culture requires intentional reinforcement.

Interactive Exercise (10 minutes): The Ripple Effect Demonstration

Ask one volunteer to begin by offering a genuine compliment or encouragement to another teammate.

That person then does the same to someone else.

Continue around the room.

Debrief:

How did the mood shift?

How quickly did encouragement spread?

What would happen if this were daily behavior?

This models how culture can be changed through small repeated actions.

Reflection (10 minutes): My Role in the Culture

Participants respond to:

What am I consistently spreading—stress, indifference, or belief?

Follow-up prompts:

Do my reactions build people up or shut them down?

Would I want everyone acting the way I do?

What is one habit I need to change immediately?

Application Challenge (5 minutes)

Each participant completes:

“To strengthen our culture, I will stop ________ and start ________.”

Examples:

Stop complaining → Start suggesting solutions

Stop staying silent → Start encouraging teammates

Stop focusing on mistakes → Start reinforcing effort

Key Takeaways to Reinforce

Culture spreads through behavior, not intention.

Every individual is a culture carrier.

What a team tolerates becomes its identity.

Positive environments are protected through consistent action.

Small moments repeated daily create lasting transformation.

Closing Thought

A team does not become positive by accident.

It becomes positive when its members decide:

“What we bring into this environment matters—and we will bring what helps, not what hurts.”

Optional Follow-Up Session

At the next gathering, discuss:

What behaviors changed this week?

What positive habits gained momentum?

What still needs to be addressed?

This reinforces that culture is not created in one meeting—it is sustained through daily commitment.