Return on Energy - The Trifecta of Healthy, Wealthy and Wise

Where Innovation Meets Inspiration

Is a lot of success smoke and mirrors?

Much like the diet industry - leadership has its own relentless pursuit of 'perfect'. The mantra "more is better" has dominated the corporate landscape. Founders, leaders and CEO's burn out over it. Do more, network more, create more.

But let’s flip that script: what if the true power of success lies not in quantity but in the quality of our energy?

Welcome to the 3 Secrets of what I like to call "Return on Energy"—where natural alignment, self leadership and collaboration create a flow that enhances both culture, vitality and financial performance.

Success isn't measured by the number of meetings or tasks on your to-do list. It’s about the quality of your engagements and the freedom to make calls on where you spend your time, money, ideas and how to build sustainable wins. However I do believe this needs to be part self leadership - discernment. We understand it. Do we apply it?

This isn't an overnight recipe and it's a learnt skill from experience. A deeper understanding and a real sense of self trust. It's a daily muscle you need to flex.

We grow from our failures, trials and tribulations - making lessons into learnings is the key:

[Experience + gut instinct x facts on hand] + a solid moment to pause and review = quality decision.

The more experience you have the better you can discern who, what, how and when - combining all of that with a gut instinct. Move fast, learn, take risks but make those stumbles count.

Our most recent Boardroom Retreat? at Makepeace Island exemplified this perfectly. Our guests were not just leaders, they were all pioneers in some form or another in their industry and in life. Daring to do different.

And the speakers; they are catalysts for transformation.

Reaffirming to me even more the power of a quiet alignment for not only why you're working hard on something you believe in, but the power of collaborations, consideration and connecting to who and what matters most.

1. Quality Over Quantity

Are you making the time or taking the time?

"I'm too busy" - can't be an excuse anymore when we have more productivity tools than any generation.

Plan your Winning Week? on purpose.

No two days are the same for me, let alone a week - so I can't let that get in the way of my vital ingredients. 5am seems extreme to some, but to me it's part of my day that creates the best foundation for my work. It's my time. A walk/run and coffee. A workout for 15mins even. Anything that is focused on setting the day up right before being available to the outside world.

For those of you who travel too, like I do it's not unusual to do a 3am start and be back on the last flight in. Thinking about limiting those demanding routines to be more productive and with COVID shifting the old style of personally being everywhere - finding the right mix of face to face and virtual is a valuable asset.

James Hunter from KPMG, dialling in from London during our retreat, brought a disciplined routine that showcased how to juggle global responsibilities without compromising personal wellbeing and conviction for leading by example.

A master of working out as a vital ingredient, with naval discipline is skill that anyone can create as part of your daily routine. The results you get speak volumes - quality moments more consistently trump binge goals and routines that won't last.

2. Collaboration: The Power of Natural Alignment

Collaboration thrives in an environment of natural alignment.

Rob Brown OAM, Australia's hall of fame as part of the iconic team to win the America's Cup, fresh off his Netflix feature in UNTOLD Stories, Rob highlighted agility in sport, life and business. His experience winning the America's Cup teaches us that success comes from teamwork and alignment, transforming challenges into victories.

During the round of races leading up to the cup, Team Australia were asked to pay deep attention to detail on the areas they were not performing, rather than focus on the new keel and what was working well, as a team they studied the competition and looked at micro elements they could improve on with precision and shared purpose.

3. Self Leadership

It's not the plane, it's the pilot.

This was evident as Tim Douglas, Editor of The Weekend Australian Review, shared his journey—an exploration of finding authenticity in an age of information overload.

What is iconic? Where do we find the facts, are you hunting for both sides of the story?

Tim's perspective underscored the importance of aligning your narrative with your values, fostering a culture of trust and innovation. Take action, research, consider and be discerning in the information you rely on.

All these insights were not just informative—they were actionable.

It’s about creating impact through more meaningful connections, planning and being present to truly understand a bigger landscape than just the one you know.

Energy as a Valuable Commodity

Energy is a precious resource that can either propel you forward or hold you back. We either figure out how to harness energy or keep forcing our way through it.

So have a think as you read this: Are you placing the right value on your return on energy?

1. Physical Energy: Invest in your wellbeing. Regular exercise and mindful breaks can supercharge your productivity.

• Are you running your day or does it run you? True leadership is being the CEO of your life as well as your business? (if you want to know how to do that grab FITPRENEUR and I step by step that out for you).
• Allow for down time, reset and refocus without interruption.

2. Mental Energy: Cultivate an inspiring environment. Surround yourself with individuals who challenge you to think differently and creatively.

• Trust your own intuition, vision and ideas and provide them enough space to be cultivated in the right circles. Define, discern and decide.
• If you don't manage the way you make decisions you can be pulled into panic, fear based actions.
• Mentally agile founders make fast decisions, but are very good at decluttering information that is white noise and focus on what matters most. This comes with experience yes, but practice that early on and you'll be much more efficient and the type of thoughts you retain and have room to learn more.

3. Financial Energy: Approach your finances strategically. Treat your resources as an investment in your vision, not just an expense.

• Are you afraid of cash flow or can you lean into understanding the cycle of how to make micro and macro decisions.
• Who is in your corner to provide quality models for advice and to run scenarios and provide a solid financial sounding board that you trust. As you and your business grows this resource and group around you will probably shift with that.

As Justin Pettett, co-founder of Powershift Technologies, reminded us there is an importance of a fully integrated approach. That quality of his team, time with his family and aiming to create a solid financial foundation were all elements for success.

Return on Energy - What are you measuring?

As I reflect on the incredible insights shared at Makepeace Island, it’s always clear that sustainable success doesn’t come from forcing your way through challenges.

It comes from creating a culture that values energy—physical, mental and financial. From partnerships, friendships, colleagues and connections that do not need to be forced.

That comes from having trust in yourself first and knowing who to work with to create confidence and calm in an ever changing landscape.

Being the CEO of your life as well as your business. Embrace quality connections, foster collaboration, and recognise the value of your energy personally as well as professionally.

Stay tuned for more insights from our Boardroom Retreat?, and remember: you get to define what success looks like. It can't just be about the end game - it needs to be about the journey itself.

Hope you enjoyed this. I'll be doing a WhiteBoard Wednesday video about this topic so please drop a comment if you'd like the next update.

Nikki

e: [email protected]

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Our very last leadership gathering this year is 22-24 November and it's the special edition BoatBoardroom?. Stay, play and create your 2025 Playbook in stunning Noosa Heads, and mix it up with a bit of adventure as we share stories of innovation, creativity and sustainable success in natures playground with SCF Australia ? Fishing | Media | Events Australia and Seafox Boats creating some magical money can't buy moments on the water. www.nikkifogdenmoore.com/theboardroomretreat