Everything that Sucks Energy Begins with “P”
Only 11% of us had a great deal of energy yesterday.*
I asked a group, “What aspects of work suck the life out of you?” Every response pointed to a “P” word – people.
- Blabbermouths.
- Office politics.
- Disconnected management.
- Constant tweaking.
- Complainers.
Energy is social:
The first principle of organizational energy – Energy always moves from one person to another.
Every interaction is an energy exchange.
Some people suck energy. Jon Gordon calls them energy vampires. Some people, like the Energizer Bunny, give energy.
Evaluate your leaders by asking them, “When you show up, does energy go up?”
Exchange:
Positive environments are dominated by “Positive Energy Exchange.” (The acronym for Positive Energy Exchange just doesn’t seem right.)
Successful team members give each other energy.
The energy chart:
Divide a piece of paper into four quadrants. Label the upper left quadrant, “Sucks Energy.” Label the upper right quadrant, “Fuels Energy.”
Put everyone on your team in one of the two upper quadrants. Just go with your gut.
Think about the energy vampires in the upper left quadrant. Record their energy-sucking qualities in the lower left quadrant. Use the lower right quadrant to record the qualities and behaviors of those who fuel energy.
Cut the top half of your energy chart off and throw it in the garbage.
Hand a copy of the lower half of your energy chart to everyone in your next team meeting.
Discussion:
Explain the process you used to develop the lists of qualities of energy vampires and the list of traits of those who fuel energy. Don’t point fingers at anyone.
Ask:
- What are you doing that sucks energy from others?
- How would you like to fuel each other’s energy? Be specific.
Positive environments are never an accident.
What sucks the life out of you at work?
How might people fuel each other’s energy?
*Are you Fully Charged, Tom Rath.
A great post, Dan, and a very helpful way of understanding why we avoid some team members and seek out others. We all need an energy boost, and self-preservation drives us away from vampires. We have an upcoming team meeting and I’ll introduce this exercise. I wonder if anyone will “see themselves”.
Thanks Susan. Wouldn’t it be surprising and disappointing if we saw ourselves as energy givers and others saw us as vampires. This thought keeps nagging at my head.
Reflection in the great mirror of reality. Always useful to ensure your perception is aligned
What a great exercise for beginning the conversation about personal energy! Might it be expanded to business processes also? It is easier to deal with the business process that suck people dry, correct those, and regain or reclaim lost energy.
Thanks Steve. Great idea. I think we have to start the conversation.
Undefined terms and conditions.
Roles that are given and then eroded or changed without notice. Negativity.
To fuel energy: good humour, genuine interest in staff, supporting staff in pursuing better terms and conditions, respect, open discussions, good communication.
Thanks Create… it’s obvious that fueling energy isn’t rocket science.
Thank you. It may not be rocket science Dan but it seems common sense is not very common!
Truth. The other issue is we get so busy that we ignore simple behaviors.
Love the pun… very punny!!
Thanks Veronica. I wrote out PEE and didn’t even notice. When I went back, boom, I saw it. 🙂 Glad you enjoyed.
Lack of consistency! When management forgets the direction they gave to the group, or alters it often, it is exhausting!
Knowing what to expect and knowing you are on the correct path is energizing!
Thanks Stacy. Too often management makes performance more difficult! When you want to succeed, you would hope that management would be helpful.
Excellent post Dan. I have also heard the word psychic vampire applied to those that suck the energy out of you. I have and do work with folks that are psychic vampires. It is very exhausting.
Thanks Crystal. Your comment brought the image of a Black Crystal Ball to mind. 🙂
The energy chart was a great exercise for first thing in the morning. I found that my “fuels energy” column of people was twice as long as the other, but the list of energy sucking behaviors was twice as long and easier to define than energy fueling qualities.
Thanks Angela. Thanks for the feedback. It’s helpful. The idea that bad is stronger than good came to mind. We notice bad things with greater frequency and intensity than we notice good things.
One researcher found that our brains light up with greater intensity when thinking about negatives as compared to positives.
I am doing this TODAY! Love it!
Thanks Stephanie! Best wishes.
What a great tool that I just did and I am totally in agreement with Angela’s comments. Not many energy vampires but they are powerful! Thanks for the tool – awesome!
Thanks Janet. Great to get your feedback. Bob Sutton talks about the disproportionate value of eliminating bad. In other words, when we eliminate the impact of an energy vampire, the whole team has more energy.
I love the Energy Chart activity and discussion! I’m going to add a version of this exercise to manager training on team dynamics. Thanks for the great insights!
Thanks David. Please feel free to share your learnings.
Rather than Exchange, Protocol. Positive Energy Protocol – PEP.
Thanks Peter. Wow, how a appropriate!
Or maybe Positive Energy Partnerships – also PEP??
What sucks the energy out of me at work? I noticed it is the same issues that take up most of my time. Its the same issue that 1/3 of my e-mails are about. Just think about it. If I could solve that one issue I could be so much more productive. My team would be so much better. What is the issue? Not just P but PP, Problem People. Ones that argue over everything, ones who suck the energy out of everyone else, ones who don’t want to be here but don’t want to leave. Or TPP Toxic Problem People. Now I have to step back and figure out how of that issue is a result of my style of leadership. Have I tried enough to help that type of employee? I have notice that kind of person is like a bad ground. They drain the energy from others but don’t show that they use that energy in any positive way. I believe they want others to be as unhappy as they are. How can a leader deal with that? I wont say how can a leader fix them. I have learned that its not my job to fix anybody but it is my job to give them the tools to fix themselves if they want to. Ok done venting thank you sir.
Thanks Walt. I enjoyed your comment too much. I shouldn’t enjoy someone else’s frustration.
Thanks for some cool acronyms and clarifications. Vampires suck energy but don’t reflect any benefit. They’re black holes, but that’s a mixed metaphor.
It’s also interesting that, in some cases, venting is useful. In other cases it’s vampire-like. The difference is taking responsibility. When you turn attention to your own behaviors, venting becomes worthwhile, maybe noble.
Hi Dan, thanks for this excellent post! An energy exchange is an excellent way to look at personal interactions and other larger corporate matters, too. It might even make those tough conversations that we never want to have easier and more productive.
Great, love the insight Dan.
The organisations culture tends to stem from the boss. “Emotional Contagion”
P-urpose is energizing!
Great post! What sucks the life out of me at work? I would have to agree it stems people. I think that people being lazy, overbearing and/or not focusing on the job gets to me most. I think I’m a pretty nice guy, but when I’m at work, I’m at work. I think positivity and having support fuels each myself and others. I try to bring positivity to my workspace every day. It goes by faster in my opinion and keeps me out of the drama. I don’t entertain sideline or personal conversations unless it’s I’m responsible for someone or a supervisor to that person.
This one really resonated with me. I am trying to find out ways in which my energy can be conserved for more important tasks and sustaining my energy levels throughout the day. One in my belief involves the people or environment you work around in, if there are known individuals that take away that energy, try to figure out ways in which you can avoid that issue altogether. The nay sayers, politics and all common things in the workplace can really bog down energy. It takes a culture as a group to go beyond that. Usually a lot of the lingering things that go on have a deeper reason to it. It would be good to reflect on the organizations norms to understand why things are the way they are.
Thanks, Dan for this inspiring message.
I noticed that sometimes, I have negative people around me, and they really suck my energy? How do I deal with negative people in my workplace?
I found this to be a useful exercise, at once cathartic and as a great tool to check how well I’m practicing self-awareness.