GETTING FIRED UP:
CREATING ENERGY
In organizations, people who
have good ideas are relatively
common. What’s uncommon
is the ability to get customers,
team members, and
bosses to buy into — and act
on — the ideas.It’s important to identify, cultivate,
and support people
with that kind of dynamism.
That’s because such energizers
have a disproportionate
effect on a group’s achievements.
So, in the opposite way, do
de-energizers. They’re people
we instinctively avoid,
because their negativism
drains the life out of others.
Generally, individuals with
integrity — honesty and
trustworthiness — energize.
People lacking integrity deenergize.
In social interactions, energy
gets created in two ways:
• First, through a person’s
behavior and the way it
inspires trust.
• Second, through helping
a group establish achievable
goals.
Energizers don’t oversell
ideas. Rather, they build
confidence by establishing
five conditions:
1. A compelling vision or
goal.
2. A possibility for a team
member to contribute.
3. A strong sense of engagement.
4. A perception of progress.
5. A belief in an idea’s
potential to succeed.
Let’s look at these conditions
more closely, starting with a
compelling vision or goal.
Energy gets produced from a
focus on possibilities — on
what could be rather than
what has been.
Where energizers see realistic
opportunities, de-energizers
see impenetrable barriers.
As for the second dimension
— an individual’s ability to
contribute meaningfully —
energizers make group members
feel a personal investment
in an idea’s shaping or
attainment.
Energizers produce a strong
sense of engagement by giving
group members a feeling
of full participation in important
conversations. People
who radiate energy not only
make their points effectively,
but also listen carefully to
others.
As for generating a perception
of progress, energizers
help the team see its efforts
bearing fruit. People lose
interest in a journey when
there are no mileposts.
Finally, energizers fortify a
continuing belief that the
goal is worthy and attainable.
Naturally, as a leader, you
want to radiate energy and
conviction. To that end, ask
yourself several questions,
starting with three about
your behavior:
• First, do you weave relationship
development not
just into your rhetoric,
but into your actions?
• Second, do you consistently
back up your
words about a project
with actions?
• Third, do you address
tough issues with
integrity and sincerity?
Questions four through eight
deal with unconscious tendencies
you may have that
could de-energize colleagues.
• Fourth, do you generally
see possibilities in others’
suggestions — or identify
only difficulties?
• Fifth, do you focus less
on an individual’s contributions
than on disagreements
about particular
issues?
• Sixth, do you fully
engage yourself — mentally
and physically — in
meetings and conversations?
• Seventh, do you demonstrate
flexibility —
rather than try to force
others toward your way
of thinking?
• Eighth, do you use your
own expertise — or lack
thereof — appropriately?
These eight questions can
serve as a self-test. Also,
they can help address issues
in a network where energy is
flagging.
To this point, we’ve seen how
using social network analysis
can show how people communicate
with others. In the
following sections, we’ll
examine strategies you can
implement to improve your
networks.
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This is from a book: The Power of Social Networks: Rob Cross
Andrew Parker