During the pandemic, we had no choice but to tap into energy reserves we didn’t even know we had and face the uncertainty and blurred lines between work and home.
As difficult as this was, it led many of us to gain a deeper understanding of our energy levels. Some of us discovered we have the most capacity for problem-solving and decision-making during the hours we used to spend commuting. Others realized our brainpower is most affected by emotions or stress. We all learned when our energy levels were at their peak, and when they were depleted.
As the leader, you are faced with managing not only your own energy levels but also those of your team. To do that, it’s important to learn what contributes to energy in the workplace and how you can maximize it to be a passionate leader that inspires employees.
Your energy at work energizes your team.
As you begin peeling back the layers to understand your energy and how you can use it to inspire employees, it’s important to include leadership development coaching to support your efforts.
This executive leadership coaching will guide you into using positive energy at work to create an environment that fosters employee well-being, increased productivity, and growth.
How is Energy Connected to Our Decisions?
As a leader, you make thousands upon thousands of decisions every day, some of which you may not even be aware of. Where does the massive energy necessary to employ this level of decision-making come from? Contrary to popular belief, the power of energy isn’t from some external source — it comes from within ourselves.
Your supply of energy is not limitless.
It may seem hard to believe, but energy is tied to the decisions we make. In fact, the brain consumes more energy than any other organ. Although we typically relate energy sources to food or sleep, it’s actually more connected to our emotions and thoughts. When we feel good, we have more energy, which leads to a greater capacity for decision-making. When we feel stressed or overwhelmed, our energy, and those skills, suffer.
Viewing Energy in the Workplace through a Leader’s Lens
Leaders don’t have time to recharge when energy is low, yet low energy in a leader can negatively impact the workplace. Your team follows your lead, and when you aren’t reaching maximum energy levels and displaying a passion for your work, this affects your organization.
Passionate leaders equal passionate employees.
Audacious leaders recognize they need to break through lower energy levels to create more passionate employees. This begins by understanding what contributes to energy, how to enhance it, and by engaging an executive leadership coach to support these efforts.
Energy Explains How People React
Whether positive or negative, energy is contagious. If a co-worker is tense, their energy can bounce off of them and onto every person they interact with, beginning a cycle of negative energy transference.
One employee’s energy can affect an entire organization.
When you recognize the different types of energy at work and how they are passed among employees, a clear picture emerges of why a co-worker’s “unexpected” response occurs, and you will be better positioned to understand their perspective.
Energy Helps Us to Respond to Things More Effectively
By understanding energy levels and how they affect us and those around us, we can create more effective conversations and greater collaboration. Each employee’s individual energy level, whether low or high, will affect productivity. Setting the tone for positive energy begins with you as the leader.
Energy drives us to take action.
Action leads to greater productivity, which creates success for the organization. When the workplace is infused with energy, your team will feel alive and can respond more effectively. High levels of positive energy at work allow everyone to think clearly, move quickly and take decisive action.
Energy Leads to More Positive Outcomes
When we refer to energy, we are talking about connection. This invisible force flows between individuals, creating a bond of understanding and communication. By learning how energy connects us, we can foster better relationships with those around us.
Additionally, understanding the flow of energy can help identify emotions or triggers within ourselves that may interfere with clear communication. This recognition can lead to a more effective and compassionate manner of communicating.
This knowledge is incredibly beneficial in the workplace. Your team looks to you as their role model; therefore, your positive energy at work may be the catalyst to creating a harmonious work environment.
The Greatest Leaders Maintain High Energy Levels with Essential Strategies and Support from an Executive Leadership Coach
No matter what levels of energy you are feeling at any given moment, your role as a leader continues. The high standard you hold yourself and your employees to is only reached by working at your maximum energy levels on a daily basis.
Extreme Leaders put in time and effort to achieve their goals, and understand that they need support. Engaging in leadership development coaching is an effective way to maximize your energy and lead your organization to success.
Follow the essential strategies for maintaining energy in the workplace listed below.
Plan Your Day
As a leader, you must always be ready to make decisions quickly and be cognizant of everything going on around you, while motivating and inspiring your team. It may sound simple, but planning ahead is an effective way to maintain the energy levels needed for effective leadership.
Being a leader requires massive amounts of energy.
It can be a lot, but there are things you can do to maintain and elevate your energy throughout the day:
- Focus on three main projects every day. This helps you avoid information overload and enables you to make informed and strategic action plans.
- Document your progress and celebrate small wins. Taking these actions every day helps boost your motivation.
- Visualize the next day. This helps you remain organized and focused on what is important.
Watch Your Meals
Your energy is derived from how you feel, both mentally and physically. What you put into your body is directly correlated to that. When you consume processed foods that are high in sugar or saturated fats, you may feel an initial burst of energy, but a crash will quickly follow.
When you take in food that is rich in protein and healthy carbohydrates, you create the healthy fuel needed to produce energy that can be sustained for hours. In addition to making healthy selections, it is important to pay attention to your portions.
You may notice that if you overeat, you feel fatigued. If you don’t satisfy your hunger, you feel lightheaded or dizzy. Balance, as with anything in life, is key to creating energy through consumption. When striving to increase energy in the workplace, be mindful of what and how much you eat. It can mean the difference between being productive and struggling to complete your tasks.
Get Proper Rest
In addition to properly nourishing your body, it is critical to get high-quality sleep for an appropriate amount of time each night. Oftentimes, we push ourselves during the week, thinking we can catch up on our sleep over the weekend. This is counterproductive. Altering natural sleep cycles is disruptive and will make Monday mornings more challenging.
By going to bed and waking up around the same time each day, even on weekends, you allow your body to maintain a regular sleep schedule, which leaves you feeling well-rested and more able to get out of bed in the morning.
By implementing a few small changes, you can get the rest you need to remain energized all week, and you can spend your weekends enjoying life, rather than catching up on your sleep.
Daily Exercise
Daily exercise is also necessary to access high energy levels. Although finding the motivation to get up and move seems impossible sometimes, even light exercise will make a difference. Spending a few minutes walking or stretching will increase circulation and oxygen flow to the brain. You may be surprised at the boost of energy even something this simple can give you.
Adding movement to your daily routine is a game-changer for your energy levels.
Daily exercise improves sleep quality, contributes to increased energy, and reduces stress and tension, two major factors that lead to decision fatigue.
Find a Mentor
As the leader, you may feel alone in your level of responsibility, or your environment may feel toxic. Even if these feelings drain your energy, you still must set the tone for your workplace.
When you are mentally fatigued, executive leadership coaching can help. With support, you can identify your goals and create an action plan to achieve them, even when your energy is low. This expert will also help you learn how to combat toxic workplace environments and create a positive and productive culture instead.
Engage Leadership Development Coaching that Matches Your Energy
Energy in leadership does not magically appear. It takes time, commitment, and dedication to reach and sustain the levels needed to guide your organization toward success. To achieve maximum energy, you may want to engage in leadership development coaching.
Your understanding of energy levels will foster high energy in your team, which will lead to even greater success for your organization.