Each month AWARE’s leadership team comes together in person to collaborate and coordinate across service lines, connect and learn from one another and model an effective organizational culture. During each meeting, the team sets aside time to explore ideas from thought leaders across varying industries within the context of our own programs and services. They have embraced the concept “leaders are readers” and are enthusiastic about continuous learning, growth and development.
Last month, we gave you some insight on putting customers and employees first in Good Company by Arthur Blank. This month, we’ll cover The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon.
The Energy Bus helps you build a team full of positive energy that is ready to take on anything. It outlines 10 secrets that show how to approach life and work with a positive, forward-thinking energy that leads to true accomplishment. We all have to find ways to manage and overcome negativity and adversity to define our own success. Gordon draws upon his own experiences to create an engaging story for managers and team leaders looking for a roadmap to overcome common life and work obstacles while bringing out the best in your team. Three key takeaways from The Energy Bus include:
1. Take control of your life with the E+P=O formula.
Energy plus perception equals outcome. Focus on positive energy as the fuel for a good journey and combine it with a positive perception. You can’t control everything that happens, but you can control what you believe will happen. If you focus on gratitude, solving problems, and learning new things, you’ll always come out ahead.
2. Humans can sense enthusiasm from a distance and it’s what gets people on your bus.
Enthusiasm is contagious. We need to be our own Chief Energy officers spreading positive energy to as many people as possible. We don’t always have to have a great day, but when we do, be sure to use it to inspire those around us.
3. Love people. Make time to listen, recognize them as individuals, and appreciate their accomplishments.
As people, we all have a need for appreciation. Love and showing people that you care about them fulfill this need. We can achieve this by taking time to listen to people one-on-one, empathizing with them – none of us are perfect, and highlighting people’s individual contributions.
After reading this book you will be ready to approach any person you meet, work with or live with in a new light full of positive energy that is contagious and personable.
This book shaped how the leadership team views their own energy buses and brought a renewed perspective to the importance of keeping teams moving forward. They even took time to hand out tickets to their buses so that we can all collectively keep the AWARE teams functioning at the highest levels possible!
Have you read any great leadership books? We’d love to know what you’re reading! Let us know by sending an email to bhiggins@aware-inc.org.