Energy Leadership™ is a discipline that develops one’s personal influence style so that it positively impacts the manager and, in turn, those around him or her. When practiced with intention, this process can drastically improve your personal and professional relationships, which, in turn, can transform your business. To be an effective leader, the first step involves familiarizing yourself with the principles of Energy Leadership™ and its seven levels of leadership
Level 1
These leaders are critically self-aware but fail to take action. Level one leaders typically have low self-esteem, work in crisis mode and lack productivity. Unfortunately, some leaders have little to no passion for the business, and this affects their commitment. Their communication skills are poor to non-existent, as is their ability to truly inspire and motivate others.
Level 2
For these leaders, actions and results come from a place of anger and defiance. The focus is on others, stress, disappointment, resistance, struggle, control and entitlement. Often interactions with these types of leaders feel like a zero-sum game, in which their world is made up of winners (them) and losers (everyone else). It’s not uncommon for Level 2 leaders to be micromanagers.
Level 3
It is at this level that there is a distinctive shift between fear (Level 1) and negative energy (Level 2) to positive energy and a willingness to accept responsibility for one’s actions. Level 3’s thoughts are positive, and their emotions come from a place of forgiveness. Actions and results may include rationalization, justification, tolerance and coping.
Level 4
This leader’s focus is on their team. They genuinely care about others, and they don’t take anything personally. Instead, they are able to view circumstances and people objectively. They are playful, generous, supporting, helpful and self-caring. These types of leaders perform better as human resource personnel, customer service and sales
Level 5
Leaders who operate at a Level 5 live to the fullest and don’t let the past get in the way. They are open-minded and focus on the organization as a whole rather than just themselves. Often, when faced with a challenge or threat, these leaders view them as an opportunity for growth and development. Further, these individuals don’t try to change differences in others, but instead focus on accepting and reconciling differences.
Level 6
These leaders are driven by their intuition, and they are often creative geniuses and visionaries. Individuals at this level of leadership see others around them as an extension of themselves, which fosters an attitude of empowerment and achievement among team members.
Level 7
The seventh and highest level is often the hardest to achieve, and few people have ever experienced it. It’s characterized by a complete lack of blame, shaming and fear of failure. Level 7’s feel don’t make any judgments and, unlike Level 2 leaders, feel that winning and losing are illusions. They’re fearless, and they create and observe at the same time.
