Tag Archives: coaching

In the face of Massive Layoffs, why should I work with an Energy Leadership Coach?

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People in today’s workforce face stress – and lots of it. Layoffs, quiet quitting, a general sense of pandemic fatigue, and recessionary pressures are hitting all of us.

For corporate leaders, this stress is multiplied. Leaders are dealing with teams that are unmotivated and exhausted. In some organizations, leaders need to cut positions and continue to drive the business forward with fewer resources. Paradoxically, in other companies, there are open positions that are difficult to fill, and existing team members are stretched thin.

Burnout is real, and whether your company is primarily working from home, returning to the office, or trying a hybrid model these days – you are likely facing challenges and trying to figure out what works best. (Of course, some industries such as healthcare never had the option to work from home and the stress of these workplaces can be off the charts.)

What can we do about it? This article is about Energy Leadership™ and how you can use your energy to show up every day as your best self.

What is Energy Leadership?

Your life experiences significantly impact how you perceive things. This affects your energy in different situations. Although you may not be aware of it, you may be realizing less than your full potential at work, at home, or in social situations. 

Energy Leadership refers to both a particular and unique form of leadership, and to the process of leading energy so that it works for you, rather than against you. By learning and applying the principles and concepts of Energy Leadership, you can increase your ability to shift your own energy and the energy of those around you. When you do that, you will help inspire and motivate yourself and others, feel a greater sense of purpose, get more done with much less effort and stress, and constantly attract positive and powerful people and success to you.

If you manage people, an entire team, or a whole organization, your responsibility – and ability to influence the energy of that group – grows. Every interaction presents the opportunity to lead and have a positive impact on others. You not only need to show up with your best energy, but you need to motivate your team to recognize and harness their own energy.

That’s where Energy Leadership Coaching comes in.

How is Energy Leadership Coaching Different from Other Types of Coaching?

Many people are familiar with an executive coach, a career coach, or a life coach – Energy Leadership Coaching is different from all of these, yet it can help you with each of these aspects of your life.

Energy Leadership Coaching begins with an Energy Leadership Index (ELI) assessment, which applies a numerical value to the types of energy you experience in different situations.  It is not a personality test; it is an attitudinal assessment.  We use this assessment as a starting point, and coaching helps you identify where you believe you would like to spend more of your energy to gain the results you want.

You can work with a certified Energy Leadership coach, like me, with over 300 hours of coaching through iPEC, the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching. This will help uncover your unique energetic profile and your energetic stress reaction, and how they can be harnessed to reach your specific goals and potentially shift awareness and mindset.

What Types of Energy May be Affecting Me?

You lead with your energy. Everyone has a unique level of energy due to lived experiences. Whether you are a corporate leader or not, your energy is how you lead and influence your friends, family, and colleagues. Everyone has the potential to positively or negatively affect those around them.

As an overview, there are two main types of energy: anabolic and catabolic. Anabolic is typically thought of as constructive, fueling, healing, and growth-oriented energy. Catabolic is typically thought of as draining, resisting, and contracting energy, yet catabolic energy can be helpful for focusing and protecting us when experiencing uncomfortable situations.

Both types of energy serve a powerful purpose. And you determine how to use each type of energy appropriately, either with a thought or mindset, emotion, action, or inaction.

Who Benefits Most from Energy Leadership Coaching?

Anyone who wants insight into where they are spending their energy can benefit from Energy Leadership coaching. It can help you find areas where you can do more of what you want to do and develop strategies to improve energy-zapping situations. 

 Why is this Especially Well-Suited for Corporate Leaders and their Teams?

Executives have developed patterns over time and are often frustrated by certain situations without understanding why. Energy Leadership helps bring issues to the forefront to let you make changes if necessary. How you show up matters and all of the people you interact with – whether employees or family or friends – look at your actions more than your words.  With Energy Leadership coaching, you can identify patterns and learn to model your actions to best harness your energy.  

Can Energy Leadership Help to Build Better Relationships with Remote Teams?

Connections are so key, particularly in a remote situation. Leaders need to consider how they show up to their employees. Are your employees just listening to video calls on mute and not interacting? Are new employees feeling connected to the organization and their teams?  You can create an atmosphere of learning, risk-taking, and opportunities with a foundation of trust and creativity. However, you must understand what motivates you and your employees. 

Improving team dynamics so there is accountability and understanding can significantly improve performance – whether in a remote, in-person, or hybrid situation.  A manager or executive who feels there are barriers in the way of the organization’s creativity and communication can use Energy Leadership to improve interactions. Any time individuals or teams can better understand what is getting in the way of success – and fix the issue — results in a win for everyone involved.

What are the Takeaways?

Energy Leadership can profoundly change your leadership style. It helps you to become more self-aware and realize what messages you are sending, and how you can change this dynamic or shift your leadership style to bring out the best in your team.

Interested in learning more about Energy Leadership Coaching?

Send me an email and I’d be happy to share more information.

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Regaining my Footing

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We take a lot of things for granted in this life … like walking.

Last winter I had some pretty extensive foot surgery. Sure, I expected some recovery time, but it was longer and involved more rehabilitation than I had counted on – I essentially needed to learn to walk again after being in a cast, and then a boot for three months.

Although this isn’t the heroic story of someone who learns to walk again after losing a limb or being in a severe accident, it certainly was humbling for me. This setback made me reflect on how, in life, sometimes you need to stop, assess, and start again from the beginning. When you can’t walk, it is certainly a wake-up call – and you put yourself in the hands of experts.

 At some point in our lives, we all need to reach out for help and lean on other people (sometimes literally!). Taking those “baby steps” again as I re-learned the basics of balance, stability, and moving my body in the correct way made me think of the parallels to coaching. The physical shifts and the mental shifts involved mirror each other.

In my energy coaching practice, I am the one telling others to start at the beginning, work from the ground up, and lean on me for support. Just like my physical therapists, I am trying to help people get from one place to another. It’s not always easy, and often, it takes a lot of hard work over a period of time to get there.

I am now through the worst of it and walking several miles each day. I’ve realized the surgery and all the physical therapy were worth the end result. Here are the lessons I’ll try to hold on to and embed in my coaching practice:

  • Don’t take things for granted. Easy to say … hard to do. Be grateful for what you have and try not to be resentful when you no longer have those things.
  • It’s OK to start all over again. We are all starting from different places, and sometimes you need to regroup and go back to square one.
  • You will get discouraged. And angry. And furious. It’s natural to get discouraged but remember you are learning and perfecting the process.
  • Reach out for help. What resources do you have? Although it might not be in your nature, take stock of the people or organizations that are there to help and lean on them. When you lose hope, those folks can help lift you to the next milestone.
  • Take baby steps. It’s natural to want to hurry up and do all the things necessary to get better. But sometimes slow is good. If you can trust your guide (therapist/coach/mentor), learning each new step can end in a better result.
  • Be realistic. Be realistic with yourself that change is going to take time. Also be realistic about the milestones that will get you there.
  • Gain new perspectives. Sitting on the sidelines gives you a new appreciation, and also time to look at things with fresh eyes.  Shifting your perspective may help you understand situations better
  • Be aware of your blind spots. Sometimes you don’t see the bumps in the road that may trip you up. When reassessing your goals, try to be consciously aware of your blind spots. Believe me, I have a new appreciation of physical accessibility issues, something that I had not considered much in the past.
  • Keep your skills current. This is always a good practice, but my forced slow-down gave me a chance to do some research and work on some new skills as I was recuperating.
  • Just keep swimming. As Dory tells Nemo, in Finding Nemo, “just keep swimming” or walking! Try to make forward progress each day. . Keep moving and you will regain strength, whether it is physical or mental.

Life may throw us curveballs, but we need to gain wisdom and knowledge from those experiences in order to forge ahead.

Taking a Well-Deserved Break … and What I’ve Learned

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Recently, I left my job at MIT, and I don’t have another job. As the Executive Director of the Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship, my days (and many nights) were filled with activity – working with students, teaching, and shaping entrepreneurship education programs. All that has stopped, and I’ve taken time to be still, breathe, take stock, and think.

This time of reflection is providing me a much clearer view of what is possible—and realizing the big picture is even bigger than I thought. Quitting your job is not for everyone (and I am very fortunate that I’m in a position where I could do that), however, taking time to make room for other activities is something I highly recommend to everyone. Creating space to see that there are other opportunities, different ways to work, new skills to learn, and passions to embrace is enlightening. (My new passion is tennis! Who knew?)

I have had three acts thus far in my career. I held roles from engineer to executive in tech companies. Then, as an entrepreneur, I navigated two startups through to IPOs, and my third act was a career in academia teaching entrepreneurship in the classroom and through hands-on programs. Each transition had its moments where I said, “What did I get myself into?!” Yet, digging in and being open to learning proved to be rewarding in every case. I’ve had great rides with successful companies, enjoyed relationships with diverse and interesting colleagues, and embarked on learning experiences I could never have imagined. I have traveled the world, thrived in new environments, and have seen colleagues soar and cheered on their success. I’ve learned so much about people and how they think, work, celebrate, and come back from setbacks. It makes you realize that the people you work with truly can make or break any job experience.

As someone with many, varied job experiences, I’ve realized that experience is double-edged sword. On the one hand, you know how to do things, and perhaps you have even forgotten what others have not yet learned. However, experience also can leave you in a lane you know too well and prevent you from taking the risk of trying—and potentially failing—at new skills. When you are starting fresh, you know there will be new risks, new failures, and new experiences.

I am extremely fortunate to have enjoyed every job I’ve had, but I do realize my enjoyment of work is dependent on my own attitude and approach. Approaching each new role as a learning experience helps you get over the hurdles and enjoy the successes. I’ve worked with folks who had deep expertise but lacked some of the skills I have, and we ended up being a terrific team. I am fortunate to have friends from my very first job and from my most recent job, and I make a concerted effort to keep in touch with these people. My network—and talent tree—is something that was built organically with people I enjoy, and it makes a career so rewarding.

In my research findings for my doctorate, it wasn’t a real surprise that matching new graduates with seasoned employees in data analytics roles was a recipe for success. The veterans could contextualize situations for the students based on experience, and the recent graduates would apply that context to achieve a much more robust analysis. Later, my work at MIT included building mentorship programs and creating networking relationships between students, alumni, and startup founders. When I was no longer running these programs, I realized I needed to apply my networking and mentorship skills to myself as well.

Although I am a certified professional coach, it’s true that even coaches need a coach. If you want to do something different and are unsure about how to get there, working with a coach is a perfect way to figure out these decisions. I needed a coach to look at why I was working so hard; although I enjoyed the work and the people, it didn’t feel like it was enough for me at the time. My coach helped me realign my values and aspirations—something that had not been done for quite some time.

I have always been curious, optimistic, and a contributor, but I needed more balance, less commuting (yes, I still commuted through most of the pandemic!), and a good challenge to be passionate about. The first two were difficult to manage in my last job, but there was no lack of challenge, in fact, there were actually too many challenges! I spread myself so thin because I wanted to do everything and for everyone—and this led to an erosion in my passion for my job.

So, as I take time to reflect, I’m betting on myself and focusing on balance. Just creating the space to reflect has let me think about of all sorts of exciting things I can do next, both professionally and personally. I am enthusiastic about the future and approaching new challenges with the renewed energy that taking a break has given me. I hope my story inspires you to give yourself some space to think, reflect and renew!