Harness Your Most Valuable Resource: Energy

Published On: December 20, 2022Categories: Blog

We don’t need to tell you how vital energy is to the well-being and success of your organization. Energy is that hard-to-define feeling that grants any given individual the motivation and willingness to push forward with passion and a drive to succeed, and is key to our long-term sustainability, both as individuals as well as a collective unit of workers and professional colleagues.

With boundless energy, we show excitement for our work and it feels like the sky’s the limit when it comes to what we can achieve. While we can get work done without energy, that work is often pulled out of us rather than being given willingly, which leaves us feeling demotivated and–over time–leads to burnout, mental anguish, and organizational distress. So how can your organization keep your team energized and working together happily and passionately?

Energy Comes From Engaging With Others

 The Harvard Business Review once reported on a study where researchers found that the most reliable way to energize a team of people was through interpersonal interactions with coworkers. Intuitively, this makes sense–even when work is fun, it’s not always easy, and being able to get outside your own head and (hopefully) away from your keyboard to talk with a colleague can be a great way to re-energize, even if that discussion is work-related.

At the same time, each and every one of us knows fully well that not every interaction is energizing. Fundamentally, interpersonal interactions can go one of two ways: Either, A) you leave the interaction feeling positively, with the other person giving you support, affirming your value, or otherwise making you feel excited about going back to work, or B) you leave the interaction feeling put-down, demoralized, or anxious about returning to the task at hand. Result “A” is an energizing interaction, while result “B” is one that drains your energy as you refocus it away from work and towards recovering from some serious upset emotions!

The researchers we mentioned earlier found that the net energy gain or loss from every interaction within an organization stack on top of each other, and organizations with greater energizing interactions see more employee engagement and yield stronger overall results. And this is true on an individual level too–people who consistently energize others perform better themselves as they work more collaboratively and motivate others to work alongside them to create the best outcomes.

FISH! Philosophy: How to Energize Your Organization

These researchers didn’t just study the positive effects of energy, they also worked to give practical advice on how to energize others in your organization effectively. And–guess what–these tips just so happen to line up quite closely to the 4 pillars of the FISH! Philosophy:

  • Show People They Matter (Make Their Day): People respond positively when they feel validated and appreciated. You don’t have to be the center of attention to shine a light on others; just be attentive, listen to others’ ideas, and give them the recognition they deserve, and you’ll Make Their Day.
  • Offer a Positive Vision (Choose Your Attitude): People need something to strive towards, and if you give them a positive direction, they’ll direct their energy accordingly. Rather than sitting around wallowing in old problems, Choose Your Attitude and focus on new ideas that others can get truly excited about.
  • Learn Together (Play): When we grow and challenge ourselves as a collective rather than just as individuals, we grow closer and feel more motivated and energized to work together in the future. Play around with your team and toss new ideas back and forth, learning from each and pushing to achieve greatness.
  • Focus on Basics (Be There): Sustained energy isn’t about one-off events and big parties (although those are great); it’s all about making sure that the countless smaller, more mundane interactions we have every day are leaving a positive impact. Be There day in and day out providing support and energy, and your team will respond in kind.

Ideas to Reflect On:

  • Do the people on your team or in your organization seem energized to do their best work, or does it feel like you’re pulling teeth to get things done? Why or why not?
  • Are there interpersonal interactions (meetings, phone calls, events) where you leave feeling more energized? Less? What do the energizing interactions have in common?
  • What are you doing to make sure that even the smallest interactions leave your team feeling energized?

Whether you work in business, education, or healthcare, FISH! offers accessible, intuitive solutions to empower your workers, bring your team together, and introduce Play into your organization. We invite you to contact us today at 800.695.4534 or info@charthouse.com to speak with our cultural specialists, who will help you find the right FISH! Philosophy solutions that will nurture your organizational culture and motivate your team!

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