Top Leaders Explain What Fuels Their Energy
Any incompetent fool can run around barking orders like a chihuahua with the self image of a doberman.
Yes, giving direction is part of leadership. But the soft stuff, like igniting, monitoring, and managing energy, is the hard stuff of leadership.
Incompetent leaders drain people – successful leaders fuel them.
Pour in:
Fuel your own energy first. Pour in so you can pour out.
You may believe you’re Wonder Woman or Superman, but you have frailties. Thinking otherwise is self-deception.
Leaders run dry when they pour out more than they pour in.
Self-awareness includes the ability to monitor and manage your own energy. What drains you? What fuels you? Maybe it’s listening to success stories, or sitting back and breathing for five minutes, or discussing new opportunities.
Put pour-in-time on your calendar and meeting agendas.
12 things that fuel energy:
I spent last Wednesday morning with the top leaders of the Department of Corrections for the State of Pennsylvania. I’m guessing there were about 65 people in the room. During my presentation, we discussed things that fuel energy.
Ideas from our conversation include:
- Crisis.
- Developing people.
- Vacation, hobbies, activities outside work.
- Sharing leadership. “It’s not about you.”
- Progress. Stepping toward clear goals.
- Vision. A clear vision that defines progress.
- Accomplishments.
- Money.
- Giving power to others.
- Reconnecting with purpose. Purpose is passion. Know the personal formative stories of the people on your team.
- Challenges.
- Getting beyond a good day. Staying safe is a baseline. How do we make lives better for each other, inmates, and the community?
Energy tip:
Givers receive more than takers. Giving gives more energy than getting. Yes, getting is good. But giving is better.
What drains energy?
How might leaders fuel energy, both their own and others?
Finding opportunities in problems also fuels leaders.
Dan that Energy Tip is way more accurate than I ever would have imagined. Even as recent as 2015. I am finding in my life there is no ‘balance’ (equal) between giving and receiving. In my opinion, if balance is what you need, you are out of balance.
Receiving feels great and can be very affirming and encouraging. There now, doing that. For me that receiving can create some drive for ‘reciprocation’ (equal). What I try to do is extend that same kindness and giving as I can. I try not to keep a balance sheet. I am learning that selfless giving opens my heart and does energize me. Give without any expectations! Give just to give. Period.
Give just to give. LOVE it! 👍🏾
I just shared a talk about this two days ago! I love this so much! You can’t pour from an empty cup. In order to develop others, you must be developing.
To answer your question, what drains energy for me is doing things outside of my passion. That for which we are passionate about we have an abundance of energy! Even if you are in a place where you aren’t doing exactly what you love, try to find passion within that. Maybe you don’t love working at the mall but you’re passionate about customer service, you can give the customers the BEST service they have ever had!
For me it’s all about perspective.
The Go Giver – my inspiration! Givers definitely receive more than takers!
I find the ‘ya but’ comment when repeated often can change the energy in a whole room – just one person frequently ‘ya butting’ can empty the energy for everyone. The challenge for me is supporting that person in shifting their perspective, their way of seeing things in a more positive light so everyone else can feel the positive energy and share that. I always find such people intriguing because we get so much more from giving so I imagine their lives are empty in so many ways until they become comfortable with receiving and shifting to a place of giving and receiving so they can experience a different energy
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Definitely you cannot give more than what you have. Being a leader is no easy thing as you need to have enough of something so you can give it to your members. But a leader who works to have enough so he or she can share is the kind of leader that we all need.
Great read, hiring manager often say they are looking for high energy self starters as candidates for positions. It was helpful to view your list of things that give people energy so that I could look within myself and see what fuels my energy. I definitely sharing with other fuels my energy as well as networking, and identifying areas of improvement are all areas that create energy for me.