The Positive Energy Workplace

I thought I'd do something very different on this blog for a bit. Consider this an experiment on multiple levels. We're actually in the process of giving my site and blog a full "facelift", so things are a-changing here, and today I feel compelled to play.

Quick preview: a 60 day blog series integrating energy/leadership development with my personal aha's/experiences from doing a Bikram Yoga Challenge while training for a 1/2 Marathon all at the same time. I get some serious clarity when I push myself physically, and integrate business, leadership & the body. It's no surprise that this has had such a strong impact on the work I do with people. In this series I'll be linking leadership/Bikram yoga/running (lead/beek/run) to share some ideas that 1) I hope are fun, 2) will serve you in your own business and life, 3) will provide space for us to learn together and create more connection, and 4) will push me out of my own comfort zone in bringing you more deeply into my internal quirks!

A little background: What I know is that my energy, success, effectiveness, and personal levels of joy and groundedness directly correlate with my level of activity, what I eat, and how well I do at "getting in front of" and "leading" in my life and relationships. The more I ground in this way, the more intentional I am, the cleaner I eat - the more my energy soars, the more grounded I feel, the better I am in my relationships and leadership, and the more my business and life thrive. This is the virtuous cycle, as I've shared with many of you, and one that I work with clients on just about everyday. And of course, as we all teach what we need to learn, this virtuous cycle is on the front lines with me daily.

One of the things I've been acutely aware of lately with my clients is the challenge they have of being pulled in so many directions. They're expected to lead, communicate, navigate change, collaborate, direct, give feedback, grow their people, engage, mentor, produce results, model mindset, and, if they're working with me, stay incredibly present while managing their energy and impact through all of it! Tricky.

The impact of having so many demands and wanting to do a good job with all of them, is that often the leader ultimately feels they're not doing enough, or that they're not doing anything well. On the flip side, the people who look to them for mentorship and leadership can feel the energy of this, feel "neglected" or worst case, interpret it all as "that they're not cared for or valued." Neither of these perceptions is the intended one, and no one feels great.

So what to do, what to do?

One of my past executive clients, who is a very strong advocate for this work and a trusted mentor and adviser, said to me recently, as we discussed some of the opportunities of this work: "Why would people think they need to build and save up for retirement and financial well-being, but not build and 'save up' for their every day health, resiliency and energetic and emotional well-being? It's no different. Why would people work so hard to grow their careers and businesses, and even their people, yet not commit to growing themselves internally, in their leadership, and in their relationships? Again, no different." I have to agree. It all seems quite important to me.

The work that I do is kind of a funny thing. People often don't realize they need it until they're in some kind of a situation where the pain of not doing something about it is greater than the comfort of staying comfortable. Or on the flip side, they want it, right from the get-go, because they want to optimize, sustain, and push the limits of what's possible.

It's kind of similar to health, which is one of those things that 1) people often take for granted until something happens, or, 2) don't realize just HOW GOOD they can feel when they start attending to it, or, 3) know they feel/perform well, and want more. When I used to work in health and productivity and with heart disease patients, people often didn't come to the "party" until there was some kind of cardiovascular event that got them to the "party"...and fast. When I worked with athletes, they'd come to the "party", because they needed it - they wanted to optimize their game. Years ago, when I worked in Corporate America, we got people to the "party" in order to help them lower their health care costs and prevent illness and injury. Sometimes they came to the party because they wanted to feel or look better. There were several different entry points to the "party of self-care" for all of these, but often it wasn't the most obvious entry point. And always, they realized once they got there, how much better they felt and what was possible.

What is possible? And how does it apply to your leadership?

Mandy and I just got into Vegas for this year's GROWCO Conference. It's been a fun day, just the trip out has been an enjoyable little adventure in itself. One thing has been going through my mind all morning, and especially as we settle in and prep for meetings and such this week:

When you get an acknowledgement what is your response? There is the initial response: perhaps a "thank you", or the "ah, it's nothing", or even for some (who struggle with compliments and acknowledgements) the "whatever"...these are all common initial responses to a compliment or acknowledgement. But....and here is where I believe it gets good....what is your response and action AFTER the effect?