Verizon CEO reveals he tracks his mood daily since 2009

Verizon (VZ) CEO Hans Vestberg reveals that he assesses his mood and happiness daily using a 1 to 10 scale, a practice he has maintained since 2009. This evaluation helps Vestberg decide whether to work from home or engage with his employees to ensure he can maximize his productivity and be at his best.

Yahoo Finance's Josh Schafer, Pras Subramanian, and Rick Newman break down Vestberg's mood-tracking practice and examine how it could relate to them.

For more expert insight and the latest market action, click here to watch this full episode of Yahoo Finance Live.

Video transcript

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Do you rate your guys mood, by the way, daily every day?

RICK NEWMAN: It's usually bad.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: Usually bad. I'm less than a five today, I think, but our former employer or boss, Hans Vestberg of Verizon said at the Fast Company Innovation Festival, that every day since the year 2009 he's rated himself on a 1 to 10 scale as to whether he's happy or not or high energy. If he's a 1, 2, 3, meaning low energy or unhappy, he says that he should work from home or avoid other co-workers, because he's not in a good head space, as you see there.

3 to 7 is his, I'm energized, best productive self. He can work with employees, be a good-- be a good boss. And then the extreme end, which is really funny to me, too much energy, he wears people-- literally says, he would wear people out, because he's too energetic and asking too much of them.

Hans, I got to credit you, man. That's very reflective, very self-aware of himself. But maybe every day since 2009 is a bit too much. What do you guys think?

JOSH SCHAFER: Yeah.

RICK NEWMAN: Well, I mean, so I think-- I'm a 1 or 2 every day. If that's an excuse to avoid my co-workers--

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: We have these--

RICK NEWMAN: No offense to anybody personally. But if one or two, I mean, I'm a two every day. I'm like, sorry, I need to avoid you guys. I'm a 2 today. I got to stay home.

JOSH SCHAFER: I like being fake happy. You know, I think when you walk into the office, you kind of just perform a little bit and you put a big smile on for everyone. You bring some--

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: You're a young guy.

JOSH SCHAFER: Because I just think that's how--

RICK NEWMAN: You're so naive.

JOSH SCHAFER: Yeah, exactly. Exactly. I walk in, and I'm like, I should smile.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: I woke up today, it's raining outside, I'm a 5, right?

JOSH SCHAFER: Right.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: I get stuck--

RICK NEWMAN: Is that good or bad for you?

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: It's average. I go into the subway, hour-long--

RICK NEWMAN: Now, you're a 2.

PRAS SUBRAMANIAN: I was a 3, 2, 2, 3. I should be Hans and go home. Go to my office, my office and shut the door. But, yeah, I mean, should I be here today? I don't know? What do you think, Rick?

RICK NEWMAN: I-- just gave you the way out, man. I mean, if you're a 2, you don't want-- you shouldn't be around. You might be a danger to your coworkers. I mean, you don't to bring the rest of us--

JOSH SCHAFER: I do think it does kind of make sense, though, like, not necessarily always stay home, but just like when you're in some kind of mood or something, everyone does that. You put-- you just kind of go alone, right? You put your headphones on. And you're like, I probably shouldn't talk to people right now.

RICK NEWMAN: We're only missing one thing here. The boss can rate himself or herself, but the other people should also be able to rate the boss on a daily basis and say, you're a 2 today, go home.