How can leaders maintain their energy during change?

Having a strong, clear why is a key to maintaining not only energy, but also focus. A why that you truly believe in will fuel you and reignite your energy when you all feeling depleted. Our why keeps us internally motivated despite external obstacles.

Leaders can maintain their energy in challenging times by prioritizing self-care, fostering positive connections, and cultivating a growth mindset.

Leaders can maintain their energy by believing in themselves and drawing on their inner strength and resilience. They also can learn to be PRESENT! By living in the now, you are not caught up in the fears and worries of the future or the past. Let's face it- stress zaps our energy. Change can be challenging; believe me, I know I just moved from Massachusetts to Delaware! I had to remind myself to slow down, breathe, and return to the present moment. This immensely helped me ground myself, and it restored my energy!

Leaders and entrepreneurs understand the importance of having a success mindset as they navigate through challenges and uncertainties. They embrace failures as learning opportunities rather than setbacks, using them to refine their strategies and improve their outcomes. This resilient attitude allows them to stay motivated even in the face of adversity.

It's easier when you initiate the change because you are in control of it but when it's a change you did not ask for, this is where the real challenge is. However, your big WHY which is your purpose helps you to find direction, meaning, and benefits in the change.

Navigating change requires emotional resilience. As a leadership coach and career consultant, I emphasize managing emotions to sustain energy. Acknowledge and address the diverse feelings that change invokes. Leverage healthy outlets like conversations, writing, meditation, or exercise to express emotions constructively. Foster compassion and empathy, steering clear of judgment or blame. By nurturing emotional well-being, leaders cultivate the stamina needed for navigating change effectively.

It can be a very challenging time for leaders especially as they have to deal with their own emotions and those of their team members. Self-awareness is a very helpful tool in such situations. Identifying what you are feeling makes it easier to deal with it and find healthy ways to express it.

Accept for yourself first that change (even chosen change) takes time and space for our human, organic self to acclimate to. Accept that there will be strong emotions, likely fear based around change, and give yourself compassion for how it impacts you. Then do the exact same process for all the people that you lead!

Leaders navigating change must prioritize holistic energy management. As a leadership coach and career consultant, I advise clients to foster balance across physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual dimensions. Adequate sleep, nutrition, hydration, exercise, and mental relaxation are key. Nurture relationships and align actions with personal values. Effective energy maintenance involves setting boundaries, task prioritization, delegation, and seeking support. Remember, sustainable leadership stems from a harmonious blend of self-care and strategic decision-making.

If you can, minimize multiple changes in diverse parts of your life, integrating each change as slowly as possible. If there is a huge transition in your 9-5, make sure your 6-12 is as consistent, solid, and replenishing as possible. And make sure you allow space and acceptance for those you lead to do the same.

Creating energy is a core element of High Performers. This can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Find what energizes you! This can include elements of excitement (psychological energy from brain chemistry), or it can be physical movement like Exercise (which also increases those energetic brain chemicals). It may seem like a paradox, but putting forth some energy can help your body Gain energy for work related tasks!

Embrace change as a catalyst for growth! As a leadership coach and career consultant, I advise leaders to view change as an opportunity to learn and develop. Stay curious, seek feedback, and be open-minded. Experiment, make mistakes, celebrate successes, and apply insights to future challenges. This mindset fosters confidence, creativity, and competence. Remember, change is a journey of continuous improvement.

It may be difficult to see when you are in the middle of a change- a bit like a butterfly stuck in the chrysalis- but there are slight shifts in perspectives, habits, and learning every day. Journal what you can during this stage, even if it makes little sense now, down the road you will get a fuller picture of how far you travelled in your learning journey !

In my experience growth usually occur after I have been through some form of failure or lessons from my personal or professional experiences. As a business owner there’s so much new things that you’ll learn daily, from planning to executing and hiring the right people to be on your team. When things don’t go as plan you have to take a step back and review what went wrong and what could have gone right and pivot forward. Most times you fail at something but learn to be better in the future. No amount of failure or setbacks should stop you in life. Life is all about learning, growing and improving yourself.

Maintaining energy during change is crucial. As a leadership coach and career consultant, I recommend leaders inspire others by embodying positive energy, enthusiasm, and optimism. Be a role model, believing in the change and your team's abilities. Communicate clearly and frequently, listen to concerns, and acknowledge contributions. Foster a culture of collaboration, trust, and support. Empower your team to share ideas and take action. As you guide through change, your energy becomes the beacon that lights the way for others.

The piece here that is important is to understand your team will experience this change in different ways, and in different intensities, depending upon their current and past life experiences. This may bring up fears and insecurities that were not visible before. You may see a different side of a person that surprises you. And that is all natural, part of the process, and part of how us humans make sense of our uncertain worlds. Acknowledge their experiences, and support in the way that makes sense for each person- within reason for your own roles and responsibilities.

When evaluating energy during change, I first assess my physical, mental, and emotional state amidst ongoing shifts, noting what energises or drains me. Then, I review self-care practices, prioritising sleep, exercise, nutrition, and relaxation in my routine. Finally, I gauge adaptability, leveraging strengths, exploring new coping strategies for stress, and applying past lessons to maintain resilience and energy in dynamic periods.

Identify what and which activities for you are energy giving and what's energy depleting. Then find ways to do more of what replenishes your own energy and options to do less of or someone else to help with the energy depleting parts. Remember what is draining for you might be something that someone else might not only do better but find energy enhancing .