How many times have you heard the phrase, “You’ve got to love what you do”?  Loving what you do for a living is often touted as the key to success.  After all, if you love what you’re doing, work never feels like work.  Along with a love of your work comes a passion that is infectious.  It helps to build momentum behind what you’re working to accomplish as your enthusiasm rubs off on those around you.  Without passion for your mission, you might as well be rolling a huge boulder up a hill.  Without enthusiasm for what you do every day, the days are so long and the work is incredibly difficult.  But passion…passion turns the tables and suddenly your boulder has gravity working in its favor and it is rolling downhill in the direction of your goals.  The energy that comes from loving what you do is both inspiring and infectious.

Do you love what you do?  How does your energy affect those around you?

You may or may not love what you do.  But as a manager (read: leader) your energy is the fuel for your team’s performance.  Is it possible that you could help your team to love what they do?  Ultimately, the leader sets the tone for the entire team.  Leaders of high-performance teams help to ignite excitement for the team’s objectives.  Enthusiastic team spirit comes from the leader.  A passion to be part of a shared mission comes from the leader.  No half-hearted leader is going to be able to rally their team to achieve difficult goals.  A leader is the fuel source for their team.  If your energy level is at 70% every day, it’s safe to assume that your team’s energy is below 50%; your team’s energy will exist in proportion to yours.  This is why, as a leader, bringing fresh energy to your work makes a marked impact on others.

So how do you know that your energy is fueling your team’s performance?  Here are 4 questions to ask yourself:

1. Do I have a passion for reaching my goals? The sum of your team’s enthusiasm will be gauged based on your passion.
2. Do I speak positively about my team, when they are present and when they are not in the room? This communicates your belief in your team’s ability to reach their goals.
3. Do my team members all know what big-picture goals they’re working towards? Many leaders are surprised to find that not everyone understands the key objectives of the team.  Breakdowns in communication, competing priorities, or ambiguity in the workplace can get in the way of people understanding the team’s battle cry.
4. Do I see signs of commitment from my team members in reaching these shared goals?  A motivated team will show their drive in their actions.  If you have ever felt like you were pulling teeth trying to get people to stay late to hit a deadline, this may be a sign that your team needs an energy boost.

It is critically important for every leader to actively work on the magnitude and quality of their energy, since this energy is fuel for their team.  Keeping your enthusiasm high is important not only in order to bring your best self to what you do every day, but also to help those around you to bring their best selves.

So how does a leader keep their energy high to ignite performance in their team?  For more on this topic, look for Part II of this post on LinkedIn or subscribe below to updates on shannonshallcross.com.

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