Leadership Story | Leaders Manage Energy

Have you ever wondered why some days are exhausting and some days seem magically energizing? There’s no shortage of management and efficiency books and exercises offering advice how we may manage our time better. However, like the best athletes, the most effective leaders focus on energy levels, not time.In Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz’s marvelous book, The Power of Full Engagement, two paradigms are compared. In theOld ParadigmManage timeAvoid stressLife is a marathonDowntime is wasted timeRewards fuel performanceSelf-discipline rulesThe power of positive thinkingWere you brought up that way? Many of us were. By studying top athletes, the authors found aNew ParadigmManage energySeek stressLife is a series of sprintsDowntime is productive timePurpose fuels performanceRituals ruleThe power of full engagementThink of lions in the wild. They spend most of their time resting, until it is time to hunt. Then it’s all out until a successful kill. As leaders we should always focus our energy in a positive way, between relaxed or tranquil states and invigorated or challenged states. We should avoid negative energy, since it is wasted. Think about it. Leaders manage energy.