Responding to That Giant Sucking Sound
Every organization has pockets of energy. Work is easier. People feel enthusiastic. Stuff gets done.
Watch for pockets and people of energy in your organization. They are the future.
Drains:
Every organization has energy black holes. Everything’s hard. People are negative. Getting stuff done is like whipping dead horses.
Focus:
Pour energy into energy, not black holes.
Leaders can’t ignore black holes, just don’t feed them. Focus time and resources on energy.
Marginalize:
Marginalize energy drains.
What area of your organization makes you feel like you’re pushing a rope? Marginalize it.
Spend time with people and teams who are chomping at the bit.
Response:
Black holes respond to pockets of energy in your organization with giant sucking sounds.
Here’s what black holes say about pockets of energy in your organization. “Why are we spending so much time on that project and neglecting this one?” They love to point out what’s wrong with success – under the guise that you’re being neglectful.
The success of others brings black holes to life.
DON’T succumb to pseudo-concern. They weren’t doing much. But, when energy erupts, they want to drain it.
Black holes want you to pull back.
You can’t move forward while pulling back on the reins.
Follow:
When energy flares up in your organization, pour gas on it. Follow success. Don’t listen to voices that encourage you to pull back by suggesting you aren’t doing enough for others.
Follow the fire.
Both:
Don’t neglect problem areas because of energy in another. Work on both. Call black holes to put feet to their passion, but don’t let them drain energy from others.
When someone says, “What about….?” Ask, “What would you like to do about that?”
How do you deal with energy drains in your life or organization?
How have you felt pressure to stop focusing on success?
My team leader (Jen) is amazing at recognizing when someone is doing work with passion or when they might need to find a new role to find their internal energy and “spice.” But I’d bet she still runs into black holes from time to time, whether n personal life or work. I’m going to ask how she manages them and try to circle back.
Thanks James. My struggle with this issue is the destructive power that some black holes have. If you ignore them, they suck you up. If you pour energy into them, they drain you.
I look forward to any other insights you come back with.
Right on the spot, wow! One of the ways to recognize these black holes is staying connected with what you feel – when feeling drained, you’ll know that you’re doing something wrong – I think your advise is helpful for those moments in terms of actions to take: switch the focus to the energy and passion, do something about those black holes so they stop sucking! Great analogy. In terms of pressure, I believe that a lot of the short-term focussed vicious circles in organizations are endless black holes. Do you see the relation Dan?
Thanks Luisa. I hadn’t thought about short-term/long-term focus as it relates to this topic. It’s worth thinking about. Cheers.
Dan, I think your post on energy and black holes is both a pragmatic and philosophic one. On the one hand, we know that energy breeds energy. On the other, I think we ultimately learn that what creates energy in individuals and teams is purpose, reason, and meaning.
So in discussion or critique, why don’t staff members listen to reason, for example? Or, how do they find meaning in their work and contributions? How and why do people believe what they believe? Perhaps the answer has much more to do with sentiment and intuition, and little to do with reason qua (as being) reason. Perhaps we were never designed to listen to reason…of others especially leaders and managers.
The problem isn’t that people don’t reason. They do reason. But their arguments aim to support their own conclusions, not the issue at hand. We reach conclusions quickly–only to justify what we’ve already decided–and produce reasons later. (If only we would jump as quickly at opportunities as conclusions.) Unfortunately, reason doesn’t work like a judge or teacher, impartially weighing evidence or guiding us or anyone to wisdom. It works more like a lawyer or press secretary, justifying acts and judgments to others.
Ultimately, energy is depleted as discussion becomes a matter of who’s right not what’s right…thoughts that close conversations not open them…and people who would rather eliminate others than listen to them.
Specifically, my point is this. If we want someone to do something we must give him or her a reason: If we want anyone to laugh, we have to tell them a joke. People have enough to live by–but perhaps nothing to live for; they have the means but no meaning. And even those in the workplace who are employed and working regularly, a few may have an erroneous self-identification: They feel jobless and equate that with being useless, and being useless to them equates with having a meaningless life. Thus, they lose energy and deplete the energy of others.
God only knows if this is true or not, but this what your post made me think of.
Thanks Books. I always appreciate your insights and perspective.
The idea of connecting energy to purpose seems most important from a leadership point of view. The leaders job includes reminding everyone about the why.
Dear Books. Thank you for your insight. I would love to read more about how you handle difficult people. I am never a fan of marginalizing others — even though that sometimes seems like the easiest option when things get difficult. I love the idea of reinvigorating “black hole” people by helping them find meaning and even a life worth living. That is the kind of manager or leader I want to work with!
Great article. I have seen first hand how the negativity of others can drain the life blood from teams and organizations. Worst yet, when new ideas are being generated to address ongoing or systemic issues, these negative team members will have a million reasons why any idea will not work. And they never come up with any positive comments or solutions. It is nearly impossible for them to be party to any progress, and only seem to be happy when the “new ideas” are crushed under the negativity of the status quo.
Thanks Jay. All leaders navigate this challenging topic. It’s easy to spend too much time and energy circling black holes and neglecting positive direction. Just realizing this happens is important for leaders. Then figuring out your strategy when it happens is important.
Although I can see some truth to this I do think that the issue could be that your focus will keep moving to where the energy is and as they get discouraged and their enthusiasm decreases and they are really needing your support and encouragement you turn your focus elsewhere to the next big thing. The sucking often spreads wide when it’s ignored. When people feel ignored and neglected they send to scream louder.
Thanks Kylie. I’m thankful you joined the conversation. It’s very easy to tell the difference between someone who needs support and a black hole…what happens when you pour energy into them?
Thanks for sharing your insights.
Where does the person who sees the cliff your organization is headed for fit into this analogy?
Thanks Ken. It could be an issue of alignment. It could be an issue of selfish arrogance. It could be wisdom. It could be a collision of values.
It’s important not to assume that someone who disagrees or points out problems is a black hole.
Thanks Dan. The question of where to spend discretionary management time is one that I’ve struggled with throughout my career. It’s great to read a strong argument in favour of the less common approach – to focus on the areas of positive rather than negative energy.
On the tough days, I try and spend that discretionary time with a group that is doing really well. I come out of the meeting smiling and excited about the work they are doing. Possibly by chance, those meetings normally take place mid-afternoon. It occurs to me now that they are my mid-afternoon “sugar hit” to get me through the rest of the day.
Cheers.
David Pethick
Co-Founder, http://leading.io