Ideas for Organization Breakthroughs

Creating the "energy" for high performance

Most people acknowledge that they have both energizers and de-energizers in their lives.  They also relate energy to organization performance, team performance, innovation employee motivation and job satisfaction. 

An interesting research study discovered five themes for how energy can be created in conversations.  This has interesting application for leaders at every level of the organization.

1.  People are energized by interactions in which a compelling vision is created. Energy is generated from a focus on possibilities, not the past or problems.  The possibilities that are inspiring seem doable.  Overwhelming, unrealistic goals are de-energizing.

2. People are energized by interactions in which they can contribute meaningfully.  Energizers create opportunities for people to enter conversations and feel heard.  De-energizers do not create the space for the conversations or do not value different perspectives.

3.  People are energized when participants are fully engaged in an interaction. Energizers listen with full attention.  Energizers bring themselves fully to a given interaction.

4.  People are energized in interactions marked by progress.  Energizers are driven to a goal but are open and flexible about how to get there.  This allows progress to occur in unexpected ways as people determine on their own how to move an idea or project forward.  De-energizers have a goal in mind but also a pre-conceived notion of how to get there, which they attempt to impose on everyone.

5.  People are energized in interactions when hope becomes part of the equation.  Hope allows people to become energized when they begin to believe that the objective is worthy and can be attained.  They get excited by the possibilities and stop looking for pitfalls.  Energizers speak their minds, rather than harboring hidden agendas.  People feel they get the truth from energizers.  Second, they maintain integrity between their words and actions.  De-energizers do not keep their word.

Research published in MIT Sloan Management Review- What Creates Energy in Organizations by Rob Cross, Wayne Baker and Andrew Parker