Managing Your Energy
Wed, April 22, 2009 Your first and foremost job as a leader is to take charge of your own energy and then to help orchestrate the energy of those around you. – Peter Drucker
People typically respond in kind to the energy radiated by others. Positive energy – expressed as confidence, friendliness, genuineness, curiosity, humor, light-heartedness – tends to elicit positive responses; evidenced by smiles, laughter, openness and ease. Negative energy tends to create the opposite effects. Since leaders have “ripple influence” by virtue of their roles, the nature of the energy they radiate each day impacts entire groups and sometimes entire organizations.
Managing our personal energy is one of the most basic things a leader can do and it is essential for the creation of an engaging and productive work environment. It requires intentionality, practice and feedback but it is something that everyone can learn to do. So, if it’s seemingly so straightforward, why do so many employees say things like…
- “Oh crap, the boss looks like he’s in a real bad mood. This is going to be a rough day around here.”
- “Susan just asked to see me in her office at 10:00 am. There is no way this can be good. She’s never happy.”
- “Jim is a stress carrier. He says he wants us to enjoy our work but he appears to absolutely hate his. We’re all infected by his sour attitude.”
- “A kind word every now and again from Barbara would go a long way to improve the morale in this place. All she talks about are the problems she sees.”
- “Tyrone seems to be carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders. I’m afraid to bring any sensitive issues to him because he may implode.”
The reason these types of comments are so prevalent in the workplace is that few people talk about the idea of managing their energy levels in the workplace. It may seem too squishy and ethereal. Admittedly, it is certainly less concrete, at least on the surface, than management competencies like performance coaching and delegation. Yet, all of us can easily name leaders who radiate positive and negative energy. We can objectively describe the behaviors these individuals demonstrate and the impact these behaviors have on people. Since this is the case, there must be something to this energy management principle.
Learning to coach performance and delegate effectively are critical competencies for leaders but they consist mostly of “outside” work. What I mean is that these activities involve the direct application of specialized knowledge and skills toward others in an effort to accomplish a specific objective. In contrast, managing one’s energy is primarily “inside” work that involves exercising self-awareness and self-regulation. People with good self-awareness continually conduct an internal appraisal of their emotions, strengths, weaknesses, drives, values and goals, and the impact they have on others. Those who exercise effective self-regulation are able to control and redirect their potentially disruptive emotions or impulses. This “inside work” is very intentional but it is not done so much to influence others as it is to master oneself.
While self-awareness and self-regulation can be considered management competencies, they are probably best viewed as disciplines. A discipline involves the active engagement of the will and constant practice in an effort to master one’s thinking and behavior in a particular area. This is why the development of self-awareness and self-regulation lend themselves more to professional coaching than to classic training techniques. It is important to note that self-awareness and self-regulation are not exclusive to leaders. These disciplines are; however, essential components of “EQ” or “emotional intelligence” – a cluster of skills that is highly linked to leadership success.
Managing our energy does not mean that we need to suppress or deny what we are feeling. Everyone is going to have down days and difficult issues to contend with both inside and outside of work. Challenges such as health issues, family crises and economic concerns can seriously impact our energy levels and how we come across to others. Things happen to us and around us that threaten our self-control and strip away our defenses. Consequently, there should be freedom in organizations for the proper expression of emotions. Emotions are part of our life blood. They make us human and reveal what we care most about. Leaders who share what they are feeling are often seen by others as more credible, approachable and genuine than those who act more robotically. The key, especially for those in leadership roles, is to carefully consider how our body language, words and behaviors affect others. Judgment and discretion are required to ensure that we do not unwittingly create an atmosphere of fear, uncertainty or reluctance through the emotions we express and the energy we radiate. This is why feedback about our behavior and its impact on others is extremely important. We have to heighten our senses and be observant. We also need to collect a group of trusted people around us who are willing to speak the truth to us when go off center. With a little discipline, and the help of others, we can learn to project greater warmth and positivity; things that help foster work environments where people feel valued, confident and hopeful.
I’ll continue this exploration of energy management and emotional impact in the next post. I’ll try to offer some practical ideas for eliciting positive energy from the people you lead.
Reader Comments (1)
This reminded me of an article I read in the April issue of "Body & Soul" magazine on my recent plane trip to OH.
http://www.wholeliving.com/article/smile-and-the-world-smiles?autonomy_kw=speading%20happiness&rsc=header_1