The Positive Energy Workplace

When I travel I get to meet all sorts of people in airports. Those who inspire me, like Jim, 82 years old with a ton of energy, a strut, and a sparkle in his eye, who was flying off to fulfill one of the items on his bucket list; Christine, a surgeon who cares so immensely about the patient experience — as well as effective treatment — that it brought tears to my eyes; Julie, a traveling senior executive with a child she adores and raises alone, who has made her life hum so well that she’s able to be a rock star mom AND rock it in the business world everyday; and Gene, whose commitment to his culture and his employees feeling seen and cared for, is so high up on his priority list — even more so than the numbers — that the numbers are higher than they’ve ever been.

I also get to meet less than delighted people who teach me to use my skills. Take “Bert”… Boarding a plane last week, I noticed him ahead of me in line, made eye contact, smiled, and said “good morning”. Nada. Turns out he was my seat mate. So I got settled, smiled, said good morning again, and asked him how his day was.

“I’m surviving” he said/scoffed. I felt the energetic “dip” (you know what I’m talking about). “Great!” I offered back. I took a breath, smiled, sat back, relished my coffee and the fact that I’d made my flight (it was close), reflected on the intentions I’d set earlier in the morning, and rebooted. I felt my energetic vibration recalibrate and elevate as I got present in my own space and experience (not his), and envisioned the day, and the people I’d get to work with, ahead of me.

Bert sat for a bit, and then asked me this…

There’s something super powerful running your “show”… and you may not even be aware of it. See if any of these scenarios are familiar...

I moved into my house 7 months ago. There’s a doorstop the previous owners placed by the garage door that every time I walk by it, it annoys me. It’s not a big deal. It’s just that I get a momentary flinch of “ugh ick” every time I walk by it. And then it’s gone, I forget, and I leave it there and go about my business. Only to repeat the cycle the next time I see it. This is a silly example, but it has energetic impact.

It’s that time of the year again when people go into reflection mode in looking at what they accomplished over the last year, who they became, and what they want to do moving forward. For your leadership pleasure, here are 12 places to look over the next month as you close out 2015 and get ready to create some amazing impact, and a life you love, in 2016…