Timeout for Leadership-your one-minute leadership idea

Tip Sheet #48

Can you coach energy?

Yesterday I entered into a philosophical debate with a mid-level manager about a person’s energy level.  This manager was lamenting the fact that she was just given a new hire that seemed to lack all energy.  Unfortunately, this manager was not part of the hiring process.  Be that as it may, this led us into debate about this topic.  This manager already thought it was hopeless.  She was given a dud.

I don’t agree with that notion.  I think that you can coach energy.  I think that if you model what you expect, energy can be contagious.  With this low energy person, you must invest time and yes energy.

As the front-line manager, you cannot allow the person to just go through the motions.  If you allow that behavior, your initial hypothesis will be true. You will never change this low energy person.  When I coached, if I allowed my players to walk through practice with low energy, I knew that is how they would play in a game.  When pressured, they would resort to their lackadaisical practice behavior and end up losing.  Then the players would incredulously wonder why.    It was a simple answer.  They played like they practiced.  What can you do about it?

• Make sure your employee knows what you expect of them. If you do not want them sitting down on the job, tell them that.  Don’t just moan behind their backs.
• Model what you expect. If you come to work with low energy, how will the new person see what the expected norm is?
• Coach the new employee up. Do not assume they know how to exert full energy.  You will get no where if you just beat the person down.  Your “positivity” must be contagious.
• You must be diligent and consistent. Whatever your standards are, make sure you live by them and expect the rest of your staff to live by them. Inconsistency will kill you.  How will the new person know when it is acceptable to loaf?   Hopefully the answer is never, yet if you are inconsistent, the new person will only be confused.
• Your entire team must live up to your standards. If you do not follow this practice, your new employee will become resentful of your favorites.

At the end of the day, I do not think this energy concept is exclusively a nature vs. nurture debate.  Yes, I agree that some people may come to the job exhibiting a sort of natural effervescence but I also will argue that you can do a great deal to bring that low energy person closer to your standard.

I usually do not include multiple topics in a single article but I believe my next point is connected.  Coach the people that you have.  Do not complain about the player you do not have because this is nothing more than wasted energy on your part.  You can do nothing about the player that got away, or the player that is injured or absent.  Coach the people you have regardless of your opinion of their talent level.  That is the challenge of a good coach.  A good manager.  A good boss.  Finding the talent might not be your problem.  Coaching the talent that you have been given is your challenge.  Never view it as a problem.  It is your job to make that person better regardless of where they start.  So, quit complaining and start coaching.  Put your energy where it will do the most good.