BIC readers are involved in energy-related services in one way or another, whether it’s upstream, downstream, midstream, pipeline or power generation. But now, there are companies that sell human energy management.
We’ve probably all read the theories of time management, the secrets of successful people and so on, but there are other theories that concern energy management. “The number of hours in a day is fixed, but the quantity and quality of energy available to us is not. It (energy) is our most precious resource. The more we take responsibility for the energy we bring to the world, the more empowered and productive we become. The more we blame others or external circumstances, the more negative and compromised our energy is likely to be,” said Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz in their book, “The Power of Full Engagement: Managing Energy, Not Time, Is the Key to High Performance and Personal Renewal.”
The concept is not new. Others have written about the importance of having a “balanced” life. But this book, written in 2005, takes a slightly different approach, using “energy” to remind us simply working more doesn’t necessarily mean we can accomplish more.
Early in my career, I worked very long hours and often seven days a week. I was young, energetic and anxious to do a good job for our advertising agency clients, but as I grew in skill and confidence, I also realized living, breathing and dreaming of work was extracting a high price. An overtaxed mind and sleep-deprived body result in working more but accomplishing less. Productivity can decline so slowly you hardly realize it. In a field where creativity is a must and deadlines are always looming, the quality and flow of your creativity can slowly drip away if you are constantly on the “I’ve got to work, learn and do” treadmill.
I don’t recall now what triggered the realization living and breathing my work was not doing my clients or myself any favors, but someone or something made me step back and look at the workaholic tendencies I was developing. Upon that realization, I began to use the weekends to full advantage and to relax, rejuvenate and forget about deadlines. I was soon amazed at how much more I could do within a given time span and how much more energy I had. Deadlines became less stressful because I was more prepared, and Murphy’s Law was no longer a looming threat. With my personal batteries recharged, I was also more creative, and I found more inspiration from things nonadvertising related that influenced my thoughts and creative processes in highly positive ways.
Loehr and Schwartz lay out what they consider to be the Four Energy Management Principles that Drive Performance. They are, in a nutshell:
1. Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of physical, emotional, mental and spiritual energy.
2. Because energy capacity diminishes with both overuse and underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal.
3. To build capacity, we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way elite athletes do.
4. Developing highly specific routines for managing energy is key to full engagement and sustained high performance.
As with all good ideas, others have quickly tapped into this four-phased concept. You can now get “energy” coaches for individuals, leaders and organizations. It’s a new buzzword and a trend that is creating big bucks for companies that tout the idea so you, too, can hire your own energy guru. Schwartz is, or was, associated with one such outfit called the Energy Project.
Now you know about the newest “energy” business. I’m sure there will be more businesses in the future selling concepts that were once known as common sense but are now viable and marketable business concepts that companies around the world are buying into.
For more information, contact Connie Voss by calling (713) 206-9975, email her at cvossmarketing@sbcglobal.net or visit www.cvossmarketing.com.