Exchanging ideas to create the well-being advantage

I’d like to welcome back Gordon Tinline, Director of my University spin off company Robertson Cooper, who has kindly agreed to share more of his knowledge and experience with you – I hope everyone found Gordon’s last post on Control and Support interesting and I really hope you enjoy his latest entry and find it useful!

Gordon Tinline, Director, Robertson Cooper

Do you actively manage your energy levels? Or do you just hope that you have enough juice left at the end of the day to make it to the couch and pick up the TV remote?  Energy Management is a phrase typically reserved for the Green movement and when applied to yourself it can sound a bit ‘new age’.  How do you think your boss would react if you suddenly stood up and said “I need to stop this meeting to replenish my energy levels for 10 minutes”?  I guess some might see the benefits, but I suspect the majority of managers would think you should boost your energy on your own time and advise you to make your way to the gym AFTER WORK!

In reality, some of us have more energy than others (both genetically and due to factors like activity levels/diet) and seem to thrive on working at a high pace. However, the majority have fluctuating energy levels depending on what is happening in their lives – meaning that most of us could benefit significantly from managing our energy more proactively.  There are obvious links to physical well-being here: there is little doubt that frequent exercise and the right choices concerning body fuel boost our energy levels.  However, psychological factors have at least as large an impact in terms of how much energy we have left at the end of the day. And those who do have enough left to make it to the gym find themselves locked into a beneficial and virtuous cycle of energy use and generation.

One example of how psychology generates energy concerns goals – those who are focused on motivating goals (i.e. ones the person values) that are challenging, but achievable are likely to find the extra energy required to keep going until they are met. Another example comes from Positive Psychology as those who have cultivated a positive outlook where success and failure are processed constructively are likely to feel more energised in the face of both. They will neither be drained of energy by failures nor falsely boosted to unrealistic levels of future expectation by success.

Then there’s the everyday common sense that can preserve energy. Psychologists have long known that the human concentration span is quite limited in terms of time and capacity.  So why do we continue to put ourselves through meetings that last for hours and expect to maintain the energy necessary to achieve positive outcomes? 

Last week, I attended a Board meeting as an observer which lasted for over three hours without a single break.  It was obvious after a couple of hours that energy levels were flagging in the room – it was damaging the engagement levels of the Board members and the effectiveness of the meeting. In turn, this kind of behaviour will affect how well the organisation is led at the top level over time.  As we entered the third hour of the meeting a Director was presenting issues that were just as strategically important as ones covered earlier which had encouraged vigorous debate, but the reaction was muted and focused on getting the meeting over with.  The presenter could have easily assumed a level of disinterest in her topic, or more worryingly, in her. This could easily have knocked her confidence, but it was actually a reflection of poor Board process.  I would have liked to observe this discussion following a fifteen minute break for a leg stretch and the chance for Board members to avail themselves of some fresh fruit and water!

The bottom line is that low energy levels lead to bad decisions. Think about the number of times you or your colleagues have thought “that will do” because you want to get out of the room and do something different.  It’s much more constructive to work in short, intense bursts with time built in for recovery.  This is the way that athletes train to reach world-class performance levels. And why should you try it? Because sitting at your desk tired and daydreaming just amounts to presenteeism!