“Building Community for Leaders”

Understanding and Creating Energy in Organizations
Discussion Catalysts:

Richard Bechtel, Bechtel Consulting
Suzanne Elshult: Your Executive Coach, HRnow

Session Theme  and Powerful Questions

More than ever before, the health and vitality of any organization hinges on the smooth day-to-day functioning of its informal communication network to carry out essential tasks while detecting and responding decisively to threats and opportunities.  It is this network that maintains the organization’s equilibrium, and through which its work gets carried out.

Understanding the dynamics of this informal network can be essential to improving the flow of information, boosting efficiency and performance, assuring the success of change initiatives, lifting morale, and generally maintaining the wellbeing and smoothing functioning of the organization.

Within any social network, there are individuals known as “key influencers” who occupy critical roles – some because of their degree of connectedness, others for the type & degree of influence they wield, still others who function as the organization’s culture carriers.

One of these key roles has to do with any organization’s need to create positive energy behind projects and initiatives. Research has shown that high performers are successful not only because they have good ideas and follow-through, but also because of their ability to win support and generate enthusiasm.  Known as “energizers,” these individuals are critical to generating inertia and sustaining initiative. Others naturally seek them out, and they tend to get more from and raise the performance of those around them.  They also often have a striking impact on what individuals and groups learn over time.

Knowing who your energizers are gives leadership the ability to engage them in a more organized way – to better harness, direct and support their positive energy.   By the same token, every organization has its “de-energizers” – those who drain others’ enthusiasm and undermine their productivity.  Intervening with them to reduce their negative impact can produce equally powerful results.

While assessing the energy in your organization’s network can be highly illuminating, spotting your positive and negative energy carriers is not always easy.  The wielding of this energy often takes place behind the scenes, through a variety of channels and in a variety of settings.

Research has shown that energy lives in a sweet spot within five dimensions of conversations or group problem-solving sessions:  A compelling goal; the possibility of contributing; a strong sense of engagement; the perception of progress; and the belief that the idea can succeed.  Being able to hit the midpoint of these dimensions is the hallmark of a high energizer.

Questions:

1. Which projects, or types of projects, tend to generate the most enthusiasm in your organization?
2. What is it that sets these projects apart from others – e.g. why do they generate more enthusiasm?
3. Do you know who your energizers and de-energizers are?  How have you identified them?
4. What are some behavior patterns and/or personal characteristics you’ve observed that denote energizers or de-energizers?
5. How and where have you noticed that your high energizers wield influence within your organization?
6. How did you score yourself on the Energy Criteria Questionnaire?  What insights did you gain?
7. Based on the Energy Criteria Questionnaire (provided at session), identify at least one energizer and one de-energizer in your own organization.  What are their behavior patterns?  What are their personal characteristics?  Where are they positioned in the organization, and what kind of impact might they have produced in the past?
8. How might you be able to utilize this simple questionnaire within your organization?

Directions

The building garage entrance is on Pike Street between 3rd and 4th avenues. Parking will not be paid for. 

The HREF meeting will be in a reserved large private meeting room on the 3rd Floor that can easily accommodate 30 or more attendees. The 3rd Floor/Mezzanine is reachable by elevator from the garage or by escalator from the main pedestrian entrance on 4th.