In This Issue: Managing Our Most Precious Resource
We start the new year with a favorite quotation: "The best way to predict the future is to create it." The most powerful tool in leadership to create futures is the declaration. A declaration allows for something to happen after the words are spoken that is not possible before they are uttered. President Kennedy's famous declaration in the early 1960's issued a new era in space exploration. In the same spirit, we're optimistic about 2009 and thus declare this new year to begin a new era in our individual and collective development. We see outmoded systems, methods, processes, and institutions being revamped to match recent gains in human consciousness. We believe these transformations will touch many areas. Possible areas include monetary systems, labor institutions, economic policy, ethics, government, the environment and corporate governance. How can our simple declaration have such far-reaching effects? We wonder if Rosa Parks had any inkling of the far reaching effects that her simple declaration would have back in 1955 - when she declared to stay in her bus seat in the name of human rights and decency. Certainly, the country was ready and Park's declaration sparked a powerful cultural conversation that led to important changes. Remember the words of Margaret Mead: "Never underestimate the ability of a small number of dedicated people to change the world. In fact, nothing else ever has." We therefore commit, this year, to touch and inspire people wherever we go, and to be enzymes for change.
What can we access to fuel the job ahead? In their book "The Power of Full Engagement," Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz suggest that energy - not time - is our most precious resource. They further assert that "leaders are the stewards of organizational energy - in companies, organizations and even families." To this end, Loehr and Schwartz identified four distinct sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual. Each one is vital to be fully engaged in our life and work. However, unlike batteries, human energy doesn't bank very well. Whereas batteries have a shelf life of several years, our physical condition deteriorates quickly if we stop exercising, stop eating, or go without sleep. Similarly, our spirit suffers if acknowledgment, praise, and gratitude are replaced with criticism, prejudice, and hate. Therefore, becoming fully engaged human beings requires that we actively manage and optimize these four energy sources.
The first step to managing our energy begins with plugging the energy leaks and drains. We use the term "toleration" to describe the energy drains or petty annoyances that we put with. Tolerations can range from disorganized closets, to friends that take advantage of us, to not having adequate training for the work that we do. Tolerations are like barnacles attached to the hull of a mighty ship. If not removed, they continue to build and fester, creating more drag on a life and work that could flow with great ease.
Once underway in handling energy leaks and drains, we invite you to improve your management of physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. Here, we list several principles and ideas gleaned from Loehr and Schwartz's excellent book:
- Manage your energy, instead of your time.
- Life is a series of sprints, vs. one long marathon.
- Sprints require downtime to rest, train, and prepare for the next sprint.
- Professional athletes typically train 90% of the time to perform 10% of the time.
- Purpose, not rewards, fuels performance.
- Positive energy rituals, not self-discipline, are the key to full engagement and high performance.
In order to presence the insights in this article, we invite you to complete the following three steps:
- Make a list of everything that you tolerate and then begin eliminating each one.
- Review December's SOAR! for ideas on eliminating tolerations that you have little control over.
- Practice taking short breaks every 90-120 minutes of "sprint-like" work.
To summarize: connect with a worthy objective, one that is important to both you and your company. Then, commit to superior energy management in the months ahead - maximize the high-octane fuel that's available to you!
May we help you tap into a worthy purpose and help you feel more energetic? Please contact us at any time. We would love to hear from you.
Warm Regards,
