The Positive Energy Workplace

AI Transparency: This article was supported by AI to assist with organization and clarity. The content is based on Anese’s original work and was reviewed and approved by Anese.

As the year comes to a close, there’s a familiar pull to rush ahead — to reset goals, plan next steps, and push forward into what’s next.

But before you do, there’s value in an intentional pause.

Not to judge the year or rush to meaning — but to honor it.

When leaders don’t take time to reflect, we often carry unfinished energy with us into the new year. Lessons go unnamed. Wins go unacknowledged. Depletion goes unnoticed. And without realizing it, we begin again already tired.

A pause — even a short one — creates space to reconnect with yourself, your leadership, and the way you want to show up moving forward.

Below are a few reflection prompts you can sit with over the next few days or weeks. You don’t need to answer them perfectly. Just honestly.

AI Transparency: This article was supported by AI to assist with organization and clarity. The content is based on Anese’s original work and was reviewed and approved by Anese.

Most conversations about AI focus on what the technology can do.

But the part we can’t afford to ignore is the leader behind the tools — their confidence, clarity, presence, and ability to create real human connection in an increasingly digital landscape.

Because right now, many organizations are feeling it:

Trust is thinning. Teams are taxed. People are moving fast — and still feeling behind.

And one of the biggest risks we’re seeing isn’t AI itself… it’s what happens when leaders use AI without presence.

Over the past two weeks, I did a social experiment: every high-performing leader I spoke with — the ones hitting targets, leading teams, and checking all the boxes — I asked one simple question:

"Are you happy?"

95% said no. Not “no, but I’ll get there once this quarter ends.” Not “no, but I have so much to be grateful for.” Just… no.

And most admitted: “I don’t even have time to think about why I’m not happy. I just have to get through to 2026.”

Your Leadership Skills Aren’t the Problem

You know how to run meetings, give feedback, manage up, and delegate. You’ve done the trainings, read the books, maybe even hired coaches. Yet, after 23 years of working with leaders, here’s the truth: skills alone aren’t enough. Presence is what makes your leadership magnetic.

You can have the best framework in the world, but if you’re exhausted and disconnected when you enter a meeting, your team feels it. People follow leaders they want to follow—not those they have to. The difference? It’s in the being, not the doing.

You've invested in the training. You've perfected the pitch decks. Your sales team knows the process inside and out.

So why aren't they closing at the level you know they're capable of?

Here's what most sales training misses:

Your clients aren't just listening to what you say... they're feeling how you show up.

And if your energy is misaligned, no amount of polished presentations will make up for it.

The Three Hidden Gaps Killing Your Sales

After 23 years of working with leadership and sales teams, we've identified three core challenges that prevent even the most talented salespeople from reaching their potential:

When leaders commit to doing the inner work — to showing up with clarity, alignment, and presence — everything changes.

At our IEP Method® training experiences, leaders take two days away from their day-to-day leadership demands to reset how they show up, how they lead, and how they connect.

Below are a few of the biggest transformations our participants shared — moments that capture the power of Intentional Energetic Presence® in real life.