Managing Your Energy At Work

Much of the material in Managing Your Energy At Work was well underway when I read Margaret Wheatley’s book Leadership and the New Science: Learning About Organization from an Orderly Universe (1994). I too pondered many of the questions she asks in her book, such as: “Why do so many organizations feel dead?” and, most importantly, “Why does change itself, that event that we’re all supposed to be ‘managing,’ keep drowning us, relentlessly reducing any sense of mastery we might possess?”

For years, I searched for answers from inside the walls of organizations. There, working as a manager, leader, and at times an internal change agent, I searched for better ways to manage all the never-ending change around me. At the same time, I tried to attain the goals and objectives most often set by those in ranks higher than my own.

Sometimes I successfully reached those goals; other times I failed miserably (according to my own standards). As I reflected on a series of events, patterns emerged¾patterns that occurred at a very deep level. As my awareness grew, I came to recognize, and later acknowledge, certain principles at work that we certainly don’t learn in business school.

Interestingly enough, the answers to these questions came from a side of me that did not reside in the business world. Instead, they hovered in my private experience of personal development...the world where I explored my spirit self and asked, “Who am I?” This part of me did not feel valued and therefore was alienated from the world of business. If I acknowledged this...or allowed it to emerge in my work life...I believed I would be viewed as weak, not in control, not decisive enough. All these traits spelled trouble for a successful business career. The splits between these two realities seemed enormous at the time. So I kept my personal explorations quiet.

At the same time my business career was progressing, I fully dedicated my spare time to my own personal and spiritual growth. This path took me into the study of Eastern philosophies, including meditation and yoga. Through my practice, I soon learned that calming my mind drastically reduced my stress at work and outside of it.

This path also took me on a journey in which I explored many programs and techniques. As a result, I cleared one emotional blockage after another. After passing through each clearing, the world looked a little brighter to me. I would return to the “work grind” feeling lighter than I had left it, and could cope with its pressure more easily. The combination of the cleared blockages and calm mind allowed me to be more sensitive to the energies of those around me.

Then one day my two worlds collided. I was at the magical age of 40 when the crisis occurred¾a physical breakdown. It appeared to be caused by enormous stress from leading a major business project.  At the time, I believed I would bypass the trauma because of my strong pursuit of personal growth. However, fate has a funny way of catching up. I had no choice. I had to make peace with this new colliding reality. This realization has resulted in a slow integration that continues to this day.

After dealing with this life-changing crisis, I realized my need for control had shifted significantly. I came to see how it held me back, especially since I had always believed having control was a requirement to manage effectively. Coming to this realization brought joy and pain at the same time, for it occurred while I was leading a significant growth opportunity for my employer.

I suddenly felt like a three-legged colt with nowhere to hide. None of my experiences prepared me for this.  Nor could I find others in my organization (peers or superiors) who could coach me through this revelation. It took months for my fear, mixed with a feeling of total isolation, to be slowly replaced with a new level of trust and peace that, frankly, I never thought could be possible in a business setting.

In retrospect, I fooled myself to think I could keep these two worlds separate.  Like every being on this planet, I am energy-the essence of which we call spirit.  My spirit automatically comes with me in the halls of my work life.  And when I acknowledge its presence, the same miracles that occur in my personal life fill the space around me in the organization where I live.

This book explains the discoveries that put me on the path to understanding energy at work. I know I am certainly not alone on this journey. A broad sampling of business friends and acquaintances strongly indicates that conversations abound in the corridors of almost every organization concerning the need to acknowledge and express one’s spirit in the workplace. Individuals are opening to new ways of experiencing life every day...and it is time embrace this in our organizations

It is my hope and intent that sharing these lessons guide other seekers who, like myself, listen to that voice within that says, “There is a better way.”