Energy (Management)

For anything to happen it requires energy. Matter is made from energy, so for anything to exist it requires energy. Life is just energy that we borrow from the universe. How you choose to use that energy is up to you, but it is a temporary situation. In my life I have had many different careers and found ways to use my energy to accomplish my goals. I have found myself in many leadership roles over the years, these are the tactics that I have witnessed or used over the years. Energy can be split into Positive and Negative forces, stay positive.

Negative Energy

I only write these as examples of what to watch for. If you feel that any of these techniques are being used on you or anyone else, you need to speak up. I have over twenty years experience in management, I have seen and felt it all. Negative energy is easier to generate, usually it is used by new or incompetent managers. It can be very effective however it is not sustainable.

This is accomplished through Intimidation, Shaming and Starving.

Intimidation is using fear to generate movement. Fear of losing your job or physical harm can be powerful motivators. This will inevitably lead to your downfall if it is used to often. True respect never comes from intimidation and true respect is what you need.

Shaming is when you constantly berate the performance of you subordinates in order to improve that performance. This again only results in temporary gains that come at the cost of respect. If the shaming does not stop eventually people will just give up and shut down.

Starving is when you do not allow people to succeed. You keep their goals always just out of reach in order to keep them moving forward. It is dangling the carrot in front of the donkey to pull the cart, the hungrier he gets the faster he will pull. Just remember if the donkey never gets the carrot he will starve to death and your cart will not move.

Check yourself to make sure that you do not use these tactics, if you are using them, STOP.

Positive Energy

Positive Energy can be much harder to achieve and very hard to maintain, but it is much more effective. Positive energy lasts longer, it will outlast your lifetime and influence more people than you realize. The use of positive energy transcends the work place and leads to truly great things.

Encouragement, Inclusion, Praise, and Reward.

Encouragement; especially in a challenging environment is the key to success. I do not care who you are, the first few days of a new job or position are stressful. If a job were easy or enjoyable, you would not get paid for it. Everyone starts somewhere and the encouragement that you receive in the beginning can make or break your entire career. I take this one very seriously, I do not give up on people. If they choose to fail, it will not be because I have not convinced them that they can succeed.

Inclusion; I do not tolerate hazing or intimidation of new employees. I want them to want to be part of the crew. No matter their obstacles or limitations, I expect that my experienced crew members help the new folks succeed. Again if a person does not succeed as a manager you need to make sure that it is not because they did not feel included. Make sure that they know that you are all on the same team. Learn their name and use it.

Praise; use this with all your co workers, whether they for you or with you. Give credit where credit is due. Sing the accomplishments of others, do not be selfish. It may seem like the selfish and greedy get ahead, but they never last. You will always watch the guy that stepped on you to climb the ladder faster, fall right past you. If your employer does not recognize this, get a new job.

Reward those that deserve it. If they earn it, give them the whole farm. What I mean is that you cannot accomplish anything without your crew, recognize that out loud. Be humble and appreciative because your crew is a direct reflection of you. Give them as much as you can, as much as business allows. The gains that you make in performance will outweigh the rewards given. Some jobs are hard, you might not be able to do anything about that, but make everything else as good as you can.

A big buzzword right now is Friction. Think about how you can remove as much friction as possible from the entire business that you are in. Negative Energy only generates more Friction. Negative energy will also keep you on the verge of crossing ethical lines. I do not ever want to have to explain losing a job for unethical actions.Eventually Negative Energy will burn you.

Using Positive Energy does not require that you be happy and cheerful all the time. Just make sure that your area of influence is fueled by as much Positive Energy as possible. There are times when even that is not even possible. Unsafe, illegal and unethical behaviors warrant negative reactions. These reactions should be swift and temporary, always try to turn the energy around. Positive Energy is hard, make no mistake. Just remember to manage others as you would want them to manage you or your family members. Be a source of positive influence, It can make any job more fulfilling.

Ojisan