Today we have a guest blog from Shannon Bruce:
I wonder if you, or your
employees, ever leave work feeling drained of energy and enthusiasm, exhausted
by your day and the interactions you’ve had with others.
Unfortunately, this is
more often the case than not! No one starts their work day saying “I am going
to behave and act in ways that exhaust my energy and the energy of the people
around me.” It sounds absurd doesn’t it? And yet, that is the net effect of
what happens day-in and day-out of offices everywhere.
So what’s the deal?
There’s
actually an “energy crisis” in Corporate America and it’s adversely affecting
the culture, relationships and results in companies everywhere. According to the State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement
Insights for U.S. Business Leaders,"(Gallup, 2013), 70%
of workers are disengaged; I assert that a part of this disengagement is
directly related to the lack of “energy” that exists among employees.
Studies done by The Energy Project shows
that workers today are exhausted, emotionally depleted, unfocused, and lacking
purpose. It is no surprise they are disengaged and drained of energy when:
·
59% don’t regularly get at
least 7-8 hours of sleep and/or often wake up feeling tired,
·
69% have difficulty focusing on
one thing at a time and are easily distracted during the day, especially by
email, and
·
58% say there are significant
gaps between what they say is important in their life and how they actually
live.
So what is energy? Is it just some “woo-woo” term that comes out of the
“new age” and “personal development movement” that has no bearing on your
company?
Or is it something that needs to be acknowledged
in order to be in integrity with the execution of your mission and values of
your organization?
According to online sources, energy is:
“the strength and vitality required for sustained physical or
mental activity.” With this definition, “energy” is a vital resource that is critical
to both the engagement of employees and the success of your company.
Expanding the definition, these additional synonyms for
energy give an experience of what “positive” energy means. Read on and connect
with the impact these words have on you:
vitality, vigor, life, liveliness, animation, vivacity, spirit, spiritedness,
verve, enthusiasm, zest,
vibrancy, spark, sparkle, effervescence, ebullience, exuberance, buoyancy, sprightliness;
strength, stamina, forcefulness, power, dynamism, drive; fire, passion, ardor, zeal;
zing, pep, pizzazz, punch, bounce, oomph, moxie, mojo, go, get-up-and-go, vim
and vigor, feistiness;
As I read through this list, I find
myself taking a big, deep breath, a huge “sigh” of relief as I open up, sitting
more upright in my chair as opposed to the previous slouch. I notice that my
heart begins beating faster with excitement, as I imagine what my day will be
like if “this” experience was present throughout my day. The story I make up
about this is that others would be drawn to me, I would be more joyful and the
quality of my life and my impact, would improve in both my relationships and my
results.
What about you? What do you notice for
yourself?
The words above used to describe
“energy” are actually what contribute to what I refer to as an “Above-the-Line”
culture. This is a culture whereby thoughts are positively directed,
possibilities and creativity are present, and collaboration is happening and
peak experiences lead to peak performance.
So how do you create an “above-the-line”
culture? It starts by changing your thought patterns from things like fear,
scarcity and overdoing to trust, abundance and effortlessness. The quickest way
to “shift” the energy from being drained and negative is to pause and focus on
“Gratitude”. Answering the simple question, “What am I grateful for?” will take
you “above-the-line” and improve your energy immediately. I invite you to try
this right now.
The more important question is what’s needed to create and sustain an “above-the-line” culture for yourself and for your company? It begins first with an awareness of “self” as a leader.
As you go through your day today, pay attention to your energy. When are you alive and energized? What are you thinking? What are you doing? What’s the impact internally and around you? The goal is to do more of what brings vitality to your day.
On the flip side, when you find
yourself drained, take a pause from what you doing and consider in that moment what
you are grateful for. And then, choose an action that will refresh and renew
your energy. Some examples are to drink a glass of water, change positions by
standing up if you’re sitting, or sit if you’re standing and/or go outside and
take a big, deep breath of fresh air. These perceived “simple”, yet often
difficult next steps when you are stuck in drained energy, will make a profound
difference in how you think, feel and act, positively improving your impact and
your results.
If you are interested in learning more
about an Above-the-Line culture, be sure to visit www.excellpugetsound.com. Our Seattle and SouthSound groups are offering CEO Tools
Workshops on the topic in April.
SHANNON BRUCE
Shannon Bruce, CPCC, PCC, Founder and Chief Inspiration Officer of StoryBridge™, Inc. specializes in transforming teams through conscious culture change. Using her diverse business experience and coaching expertise, she engages Leaders, Executives and Teams to create positivity in the workplace using Get Clarity™ SHIFT to Positive Thinking to increase employee engagement, to improve vitality and well-being among leaders and teams, and to develop a culture of collaboration to improve business metrics, and top- and bottom-line results. Shannon is committed to equipping leaders and teams with the “how-to’s” of healthy interaction among co-workers in the workplace and facilitating crucial conversations in a solution based, positive way that results in both peak experiences and high performance.
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