Are you working in an organization where leaders have lots of energy? Do the leaders in your organization pump up their followers?
One of the most powerful questions one can ask oneself is “Am I energetic and fully engaged in my work?” Inspiring leaders are fully engaged and manage energy well.
Are you managing your energy as well as you can? Are you able to create a high performance workplace by creating a workplace climate where everyone is energized and fully engaged?
Energy Flows from Stories
Your personal energy can reward you with wealth, innovation and fulfillment. Often, we fail to recognize how the stories we tell ourselves limit it. In some cases, our stories actually stifle energy, defeating our efforts before we even begin a task.
Before 1954, everyone thought running a four-minute mile was humanly impossible. After Roger Bannister broke that speed barrier, 16 other runners followed suit by 1957. The concept is best expressed in this way: “If you believe you can, you can. If you believe you can’t, you can’t. Either way, you’re right.”
Let’s be clear: You cannot achieve everything you want in life with a simple wish and a bold statement. But through storytelling, you energize yourself and others by stating your desired purpose, what you know to be true and direct people to hope-filled action. Purpose-driven stories grounded in reality will lead you and others to energized action.
Some stories engage us deeply in our work, while others have the opposite effect. It’s not the time we spend on trying to achieve success that matters most. It’s the quality of the energy we bring to the time we have. This defines “full engagement.”
There’s an almost perfect correlation between engagement and happiness. The more engaged we are, the more alive we feel. Full engagement in a mission that matters deeply delivers a rich sense of meaning, depth and dimension to our work and personal lives.
Disengagement has the opposite effect, pulling us away from meaningful interactions characterized by passion and intensity. It pushes us toward safety, protection and disassociation.
By being engaged, we experience true happiness as we ignite our talents and skills. In short, we give our all. Clues about necessary course corrections are more readily apparent.
If you have a full supply of energy that you manage well, you can help yourself and others. There’s a positive ripple effect throughout the company as goals are successfully completed.
Ask yourself again: What stories am I telling myself and others that help energize purpose-filled action?
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the Bar-On EQ-i and CPI 260 can help you become a leader who is fully engaged and who manages energy with stories. You can become a leader who models emotional intelligence, and who inspires people to become happily engaged with the strategy and vision of the company.




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