Can you identify a time when you were at work? In other words, you gave more effort than you would've expected to, doing something that you wouldn't have thought was particularly exciting — because someone infused the task with energy and spurred your enthusiasm.
Why did you feel that way?
Chances are it was less about the work and more about the people you collaborated with. Perhaps the client visit became inspiring because your counterpart was so passionate and engaged. Or your boss gave you a boost of motivation because they showed genuine excitement about your ideas, interests and aspirations for the project.
People who create this experience for others at work frequently are called energizers. They thrive>How to be an energizer
Energizers win by creating what I call "pull." If you have this quality, you're better at attracting and retaining great people; you get more creativity out of the individuals around you; top talent wants to work with you; and you get better support for your ideas and projects.
Compared to non-energizers, energizers are three to four times more likely to get promoted faster and receive top performance reviews…
Energizers tend to do nine things more systematically than others. Reflect>Why energizers are the most valuable employees
Compared to non-energizers, energizers are three to four times more likely to get promoted faster and receive top performance reviews, and three times as likely to successfully manage their career transitions.
People usually assume that in order to be an energizer, you have to be outgoing or charismatic. But that's wrong: Neither extroversion nor charisma create energizers.
De-energizers see obstacles or constraints at all turns, and they articulate flaws in plans before you can fully explain the ideas.
Organizations are often surprised to learn who their energizers are. When a colleague of mine did an analysis for the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, the results were unexpected.
Many of the scientists who turned out to be energizers were low-profile, understated or introverts. They weren't research stars, but they were connectors — essential employees who, should they decide to go somewhere else, their company would start to feel enthusiasm and mission-focused collaboration fade.
The outsized impact of de-energizers
Sadly, in the organizations I've studied, de-energizers can have twice the negative impact that energizers have on a positive front.
De-energizers see obstacles or constraints at all turns, and they articulate flaws in plans before you can fully explain the ideas. Rather than limiting themselves to criticizing ideas, they place blame on others and disagree personally.
The good news is that we all have the ability to be energizers. However, too much collaboration can undermine our capacity and motivation to get there. In fact, some people may have even started out as energizers (and they might still have the best intentions), but collaboration overload turned them into de-energizers.
When organizations or teams focus too much on collaboration, individuals can become focused on what need to get done. They don't take time to acknowledge others' past efforts. They fixate on the "what" and miss the importance of discussing the "why" (which is essential to ensuring that the work has purpose and meaning).
The behaviors underlying trust, purpose and energy are not difficult to implement, but they do require you to be intentional.
