Managers must lead by example if they want to put the energy back into lifeless employees. This requires a shift in mindset and personal energy levels, but the results make the effort worthwhile – before you know it you’ll have an organisation full of ‘batteries included’ employees.
Many years ago toys were purchased unbundled and you had to remember to purchase the required batteries separately otherwise the presents you were giving were lifeless toys. Today it is a different story when you buy toys as the batteries are included as a general rule of thumb.
So the question to ask you this month is …”Do your employees come with batteries-included?” It might sound like a strange question to ask but I can assure you that I have seen a lot of lifeless employees in many organisations that I have worked for over the past few decades.
So what do batteries included employees look like you may well ask? I believe batteries included employees walk into the office ready for action every day. They are committed and have their fingers on the pulse in every aspect of their duties and/or responsibilities. They own their own agenda, consistently perform and are happy to be held accountable for their actions and outcomes achieved. In the majority of cases these individuals are able to see and understand both the impacts to the picture and the possibilities for improvement in everything they come in contact with.
Batteries included people are infectious. You can’t help but notice them and want to have them on your team. Their glass is half-full rather than half-empty. They are team players – always willing to pitch in and share the workload and the successes that come with the team’s achievements.
Now I bet you have conjured up a highly extravert, loud and in-your-face type of individual. If you have that is definitely not always the case. Batteries included people are just as likely to be quiet and reserved – often referred to as the ‘quiet achievers’ in the team.
A great quote comes to mind by Gary Ryan Blair: “Do more than is required. What is the distance between someone who achieves their goals consistently and those who spend their lives and careers merely following? The extra mile.”
To go that extra mile requires discipline and focus. The Japanese term Zanchin, which means mental focus, is appropriate to share with you. Mental focus requires you to have awareness or the ability to be truly awake or in tune with your surroundings. The term Zanchin is used in Karate to align the mental and physical concentration. This concentration enables you to clearly perceive a problem/threat and to intuitively determine a strategy to resolve it. The reason why I am sharing the concept of Zanchin with you is because many of us are walking around asleep, without our batteries in, because we are drowning in our problems and not open to the possibilities around us. Our eyes may be open but we are not seeing the forest for the trees
We need to move from the position of drowning to one that is aware and ready to deal with the problem/s. We need to be viewing them as opportunities. So you might ask how do you do that?
It starts with managing your mindset and personal energy levels. I recently read an article by Steve Oades called ‘Energy management- how managing personal energy levels saves time.’ Steve shares the following 3 ways you can reduce your stress and increase your energy level:
1. The importance of recovery time: Take time out to recharge otherwise you will burn out mentally, emotionally and/or physically.
2. Managing your energy during the day: Remember our bodies go through ultradian rhythms or energy cycles every 90 to 120 minutes.
3. Building your energy reserves: Everything we do either builds or depletes your energy reserves. Therefore we need to effectively manage our 3 energy sources being – physical, emotional and mental. The diagram gives you some tips in how to do this.
The article also offers some practical tips, quotes and reference books.
The important question to ask now is…What are you going to do to increase your own personal energy and ensure you are a batteries included person and encourage others around you to be the same as well. After all, we only want to attract and retain culturally the right fit and performing people for our organisations.
