The Leadership Approach That Energizes Instead of Exhausts

What we discovered in our recent IEP Method Immersion office hours—and why it changes everything

Have you ever worked with a leader who seemed to have it all together on paper? Great credentials, solid training, impressive results—yet somehow, being around them just felt... draining? Or maybe you've been that leader yourself: technically competent but frustrated that your impact doesn't match your intentions.

Last week, we hosted a special office hours session diving into this exact phenomenon, and what we uncovered might surprise you.

Watch the Full Session

We recorded our entire office hours conversation, including the deeper dive into each of these concepts and participant Q&A.

The Skills vs. Impact Gap

Here's what we're seeing across organizations everywhere: Leaders with excellent skills and training who are still struggling to create the impact they want. They might be executing perfectly on paper, but something intangible is missing—and it's affecting everything from team morale to their own energy levels.

The culprit? It's not their skills. It's not their knowledge. It's the missing foundation that makes all other leadership capabilities actually work: Intentional Energetic Presence.

Think of it like this: You can have the most beautifully designed house in the world, but if the foundation is shaky, nothing else will hold up properly. Leadership skills work the same way.

What Is Intentional Energetic Presence?

Intentional Energetic Presence (IEP) is about how your intentions, energy, and presence either support or undermine everything else you do as a leader.

Think about it this way: You can have the best communication skills in the world, but if your energy is scattered or your intentions aren't clear, those skills will fall short—or might even work against you.

As our founder Anese Cavanaugh puts it:

"I could be the best leader in the world and have all the best skills, but if my intentions, energy, and presence are not clear, in alignment, and responsible, those skills are going to fall short at best."

A Quick Leadership Foundation Assessment

During our office hours session, we walked through a simple self-assessment that helps leaders identify where their greatest opportunities lie. Take a moment to rate yourself 0-10 in these areas, and as you do, envision what might be possible if you moved just 1-2 points higher in each:

1. Purpose Clarity

How clear are you on your purpose and why you do the work you do?

• Imagine if you scored higher here. What might change about your daily decisions? How might it feel to walk into challenging situations with unshakeable clarity about why you're there?
• What other leaders have experienced: When leaders gain even 1-2 points of clarity in purpose, they report making decisions faster and with more confidence, wasting less energy on misaligned work, and feeling more energized when facing challenges—especially crucial during downsizing, reorganizations, or major changes.

2. Values Alignment

Do you know your personal core values, and are you living them?

• Picture this: What if you had crystal-clear values that guided every decision? How might your relationships change if people could sense your authentic integrity?
• What we've seen happen: Leaders who get clear on their values experience faster yes/no decision-making (goodbye, people-pleasing!), reduced conflict through shared language with their teams, stronger internal integrity that others can sense and trust, and increased empathy and team alignment.

3. Intentional Impact

Are you intentional about the impact you want in each meeting, or are you just surviving back-to-back schedules?

• Visualize this shift: Instead of rushing from meeting to meeting in reactive mode, what if you paused before each interaction to set a clear intention? How might your influence change?
• Real results: Leaders who become intentional about their impact see meetings that go much faster (we regularly hear about teams cutting 7+ hours of meetings weekly), fewer misunderstandings and cleanup conversations, and significantly more influence and leadership effectiveness.

4. Energy Management

Can you protect and manage your energy so you don't exhaust others or get exhausted yourself?

• Envision the possibility: What would it feel like to end your workday energized instead of depleted? How might your consistency as a leader improve?
• Transformational outcomes: Leaders who master this experience sustainable performance without the constant burnout cycle, more consistent leadership tone (no more mood swings affecting your team), and better boundaries that actually stick.

The Relationship Factor

One insight that emerged powerfully in our session:

All work gets done through relationships, and if your relationship with yourself isn't solid, you can't have strong relationships with anyone else.

When your internal foundation is shaky, you become overly dependent on others' approval, more reactive to challenges, and less able to hold steady during organizational chaos. But when you have a strong relationship with yourself—clear on your purpose, values, and energy—you become an anchor for others and can lead through virtually anything.

Why Leaders Don't Wait for "Calmer Times"

We often hear: "We'll focus on this development next year when things calm down."

Here's the reality check: If you're waiting for organizational chaos to calm down, you'll be waiting forever. The leaders who thrive are those who develop tools to navigate the chaos, not wait for it to disappear.

Every day you operate without these foundational tools, you're likely:

• Moving through reactive mode instead of intentional leadership
• Saying yes to energy-draining commitments out of habit
• Spending extra time cleaning up unintended impact
• Missing opportunities to truly influence and create change

The Transformation Is Real

During our session, we shared stories from leaders who've done this work:

• The Conference That Energized Instead of Exhausted: One team went to their annual industry conference — an event that had always left them drained for weeks. But after learning IEP tools, they returned more energized than when they left. Their secret? They used their intentional energetic presence throughout the conference.
  
  
• The 7-Hour Meeting Reduction: Multiple teams report cutting 7+ hours of meetings from their weekly schedules simply by bringing more intention to each interaction.
  
  
• The Conflict That Became Connection: Teams learn to navigate conflict using values language: "This hits weird for me because it bumps against my value of X" creates entirely different conversations than accusations or defensiveness.

What's Next?

If any of this resonates, you have a few options:

Join Us in September

Our next IEP Method Immersion is September 18-19 in Northern California. This intensive 2-day experience includes:

• Small group setting (under 20 people) for personal attention
• Live presence coaching to embody these concepts
• 90-day integration support including community platform access
• Opportunity to pursue IEP Method certification
• Beautiful retreat-style setting with vitality support

Limited-time offer: Use code IEPFRIEND for $500 off enrollment through August 22nd.
➡️ Details and enrollment here

Start Where You Are

Not ready for the full immersion? We have entry-point options including online courses, private coaching, and custom team sessions. Check out the options here, or reach out to our team at hello@activechoices.com and we'll be happy to support.

The Bottom Line

Your technical skills got you this far. But if you want to create the impact you're truly capable of—without burning out yourself or your team—it's time to build the foundation that makes everything else work.

The question isn't whether you need these tools. The question is: Are you ready to stop surviving your leadership and start thriving in it?