Your best bet for success this year

We all get 24x7 but some people seem to make it go so much further. What do they do differently? How do they have so much more impact? And very importantly can the techniques and tactics of the world's most productive people be acquired? Fortunately the answer to this last question is unquestionably YES!

This article provides a proven pathway to help us all to sustainably increase our impact and productivity in 2017 and beyond. Fortunately unlike father time which is external to us and limited the answer relates to something we can control and that can be expanded. The answer is our energy.

According to research at The Energy Project involving over 150,000 people worldwide 74% of employees are experiencing a personal energy crisis.

"In a world of increasing demand and diminishing resources, people are working more hours, spending more time outside work tethered to digital devices, and taking less time to reflect, renew and prioritize. As a result, they’re increasingly exhausted, overwhelmed, and disengaged. It’s not a sustainable way of working for individuals or for organizations."

My colleague Scott Engler recently interviewed the CEO and founder of The Energy Project Tony Schwartz (listen here). Tony has a simple and sound reason why we need to focus more on energy.

Demand is going up and we don't have any more time. 24 hours a day 168 hours per week. We are never going to get another hour but you need to get more done. Not only is the amount of time we have unchangeable if you invest too much of it for too long too continuously we get [decreasing marginal returns] or worse fatigue, exhaustion, breakdown, burnout, even death.

Pretty dramatic I know but Tony has been studying high performers since the 1970's and has found a key differentiator of the highest performers is how they manage their energy. There are four interdependent sources of energy high performers cultivate. I like to think of these four sources as forming an 'energy storehouse' and every storehouse needs a great foundation, strong walls and a watertight roof.

The foundation in our energy storehouse is our physical capacity. If we don't get this right everything else falls over. The three essential items for establishing a great foundation are:

1. rest,
2. exercise and
3. nutrition.

We have all heard this before but it is worth repeating as there is a very good chance that if you are lacking energy right now it is due to one of these three.

Where most people go wrong is in the area of rest. Sleep doctor Carmel Harrington says without sufficient sleep our bodies crave unhealthy foods and we are less likely to want to exercise. So without getting sufficient sleep we are setting ourselves up for failure with the other two items. Click here to read more about sleep from Dr Carmel.

But sleep is only one type of rest. The other type of rest is what Tony Schwartz calls 'renewal'. Schwartz references his work with athletes who intimately appreciate the importance of rest and renewal after they train and perform.

Work - rest - work - rest - work - rest.

The renewal period is as important as the working period. However in organisations we seem to think that

work - work - work - work - work - work

and rest at the end of the day, if time permits, will cut it. It doesn't. Instead we need to find opportunities for renewal and recovery though out the day.

Now for the walls.

The first wall of our energy storehouse is our emotional capacity. To build this wall we need to be more aware of our emotions and their impact on our energy levels and those of others. All emotions create energy. One of my old mentors used to describe emotion as energy-in-motion. However the energy that is generated from negative emotions tends to be short lived after which time the negativity becomes more of a drain. They also tend to make others feel negative resulting in a potential doom loop to oblivion. See my previous post on 'energy vampires' for more on this topic.

Positive emotions on the other hand create more sustainable energy with numerous beneficial byproducts. Dr Barbara Fredrickson highlighted this in her in research on positivity showing that positive emotions broaden people's minds and build their resourcefulness in ways that help them become more resilient to adversity and with less effort achieve what they once could only imagine. Positive emotions help us see new possibilities, bounce back from setbacks, connect with others, and become the best version of ourselves.

The second wall to build in our energy storehouse is our mental capacity. In a word this wall is all about focus. There are many pathways to becoming more focused. 'Saying no' for example is a good start. Too often we say yes not realising that in a time limited world saying yes to something in reality means you are saying no to something else. We can't do it all.

Professor Julian Birkinshaw from London Business School picks up on this theme in his soon to be released book Fast/Forward: Make Your Company Fit for the Future. Julian's thesis is that focus is the new super skill in a post knowledge era (to hear more from Julian watch the video below).

Julian provocatively asks the following question.

Q: What is the most scarce resource when information is plentiful?

A: It turns out that it is our own capacity for attention, to attend to the things that matter.

Mindfulness is another critical pathway to increasing our focus or mental capacity. Again nothing new here as practicing mindfulness has been done for millenia. The shift in recent times relates to practice methods with a raft of technology enabled apps and bio-feedback tools to help you train your brain to stay focused/mindful for longer. For more on this try the Headspace app or go to the Mindful Leader website.

Now for the roof.

The apex of our energy storehouse is spiritual capacity. Spiritual in this context means a connection to deeply held values or something bigger than ourselves, and a purpose beyond our self-interest. Without exception all the greatest figures of antiquity and in the present day have a strongly developed spiritual capacity.

At the risk of stating the obvious the roof is essential given the inevitable storms of life that risk destroying the entire storehouse if not firmly secured. No matter how strong the foundations, or solid the walls, a sound roof is key. In fact a strong spiritual capacity can compensate for weaknesses in the other domains. The tireless scientist searching for a cure, the single parent holding down multiple jobs while raising kids, the social activist putting their life on hold to pursue a cause.

We are all familiar with examples of our spiritual capacity providing super powers when all other forms of energy fade. However for energy levels to be sustainable a focus on all four aspects of your energy storehouse is key.

So how is your energy storehouse going?

If your storehouse feels like the image above it would be worth reflecting on how you are managing your physical, emotional, mental and spiritual capacity. I would suggest trying one new tactic every couple of weeks from one of the four capacities.

Remember you are your own CEO, i.e. Chief Energy Officer. Start leading yourself to build a higher capacity energy storehouse and not only will this help you achieve more it will inspire others around you to do the same. Energy is contagious and great leaders set the standard for the type of energy a team or organisation manifests by authentic role modelling. It all starts with you.

Please find below links to my previous monthly posts.

• What will your New Year's Evolution be?
• Are you ready for the 'gig economy'?
• Are you working with an energy vampire?
• From counting people to making people count
• Five novel tactics for better leadership
• Mid year reviews: Ubiquitous but ridiculous
• Talent pipelines are broken
• Australia: The innovation immigration correlation
• Time to reimagine HR
• The secret to successful disruption: The innovation colony
• How to survive and thrive in the supermatrix
• The biggest predictor of career success is...
• The secret to high performance is not what you think...
• Where are you on the digital vortex?
• Diversity does not equal inclusion
• How to catch and hold the rebound expat
• The e-factor is the new x: the ultimate growth multiplier
• Are you working with a waste of space?
• Iron Man needs you!
• Collaboration: the new super skill
• Leading innovation from the Australian subsidiary
• Insurgent or incumbent: the key to a future every company wants is...
• Why the talent war is over
• How 'the other GDP' is causing a talent crunch

Rich Hirst is a Director of CEB's International Executive Forums, providing a range of services specifically and exclusively for the most senior executives in the Australian operations of foreign-owned multinational corporations.  

CEB's International Executive Forums operate four peer groups: the International CEO Forum with over 3o0 CEO members; the International CFO Forum with almost 180 CFO members; the International HRD Forum with some 160 HRD members; and in 2016 we launched the International CSO Forum for heads of sales functions. In addition to our peer group services, we also provide a range of opportunities for our member companies to develop their up-and-coming talent through a series of events with a particular focus on women and emerging executives. For more information please call +612 9955 2848.

CEB is a best practice insight and technology company. In partnership with leading organizations around the globe, we develop innovative solutions to drive corporate performance. CEB equips leaders at more than 10,000 companies with the intelligence to effectively manage talent, customers, and operations. CEB is a trusted partner to 90% of the Fortune 500, nearly 75% of the Dow Jones Asian Titans, and more than 85% of the FTSE 100.

When was the last time you asked someone how they are going and they said