Whether you just want to lead your best life or chose to be a leader of a team, the understanding of yourself is key in reaching your full potential. There are many great tools and assessments available these days to explain why and how you behave in certain situations. You may have heard of or even taken the MBTI, DISC, Big Five Personality Test, or Hogan’s Personality Inventory (HPI) assessment. While these tests offer great and valuable insights, they are mostly behavioral assessments, which means they primarily look at your behavior. To access your full potential in life or as a leader, it is important to also understand your underlying attitudes and the emotional energy that you experience in certain situations.
That’s where the Energy Leadership™️ Index (ELI) Assessment provides deep and valuable insights. The ELI Assessment is a powerful tool designed to help you understand the way you see the world based on your perceptions and your level of consciousness.
With the ELI Assessment, you learn to understand your unique leadership style, so you get empowered to lead with purpose and clarity, both professionally and personally.
Energy Leadership
The concept of Energy Leadership is rooted in the understanding that in all we do, whether that’s at home, at work, or quite generally in life, our own energy impacts how we show up. When we feel drained, tired, frustrated, or overwhelmed, we experience and show a “low energy”, and when we are motivated, engaged, creative, or “on top of the world”, we feel energized and often “full of energy”. Either way, people around us will inevitably notice and likely be influenced by our energy level, whether we want that or not. Likewise, we are influenced by the energy of the people we interact with. This recognition is particularly important to understand for leaders, because with the way they show up they will always influence – or lead – their team.
This concept of Energy Leadership is so intriguing, because it looks at something as intangible as your “perception” or “attitudes” and translates it to a measurable model with concrete data.
In the Energy Leadership model, energy is experienced in two ways: anabolic and catabolic. While neither of the two energy types is in itself good or bad, both types of energy play a key role in your daily life, depending on your experiences.
Anabolic energy is characterized by a constructive, uplifting force and reduced stress levels. It fosters problem-solving abilities, encourages creativity, and provides a comprehensive and mindful perspective on situations. People who tend to access this energy more readily, exhibit less judgment and fear, thus promoting growth and healing. Leaders with anabolic energy are collaborative, supportive, and nurturing creativity and productivity.
Catabolic energy on the other hand tends to divert attention and undermine focus. It often feels draining, resistant, and constricting. However, it serves the crucial function of self-preservation, particularly in uncomfortable situations. Leaders may harness catabolic energy in moments of urgency or danger to address specific challenges. Nonetheless, prolonged exposure to catabolic energy can deplete resources, elevate stress levels, and ultimately lead to longterm effects such as chronic fatigue and even burnout.
In leadership practice, there are some distinct differences in how leaders might show up depending on whether they act from a generally more catabolic or anabolic attitude:
the catabolic leader tends to manage his team and projects while the anabolic leader leads people towards success
where the anabolic leader participates in tasks, the catabolic leader delegates his responsibilities fully to others
the catabolic leader gives information selectively, the anabolic leader shares detailed information transparently
a catabolic leadership style is characterized by work in crisis mode, the anabolic leader plans ahead and holds himself and others accountable
the anabolic leader sees only opportunities where the catabolic leader mostly deals with problems
The 7 Levels of Energy Leadership
The Energy Leadership model defines 7 distinct levels of energy that individuals might choose for their leadership style and attitude.
Why Knowing Your Energy Levels Can Be Helpful
Imagine driving a car without a fuel gauge. You’re cruising along, but there’s this constant underlying concern: When will I run out of fuel? This is similar to going through life without a clear understanding of your energy levels and how they impact your leadership style and overall well-being. The ELI assessment acts as your fuel gauge in life, providing you with invaluable insights into your energy makeup and how it influences your actions, decisions, and interactions. It helps you answer some of the most pressing questions that drive individuals these days…
The Energy Leadership™️ Index Assessment
So, what exactly is the ELI assessment and how can it help to increase your awareness and consciousness? Developed by the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching (iPEC), the ELI is a tool to assess your attitudes and views about yourself, your life, and others. At its core, it evaluates your energetic tendencies across the seven distinct levels, ranging from catabolic (draining) to anabolic (energizing). By pinpointing where you predominantly operate on this spectrum, you gain a deeper understanding of your default leadership style and the underlying beliefs and attitudes driving it.
Becoming the Best Leader…
For professionals in leadership roles, understanding these factors can be transformative. It allows you to identify areas for growth, break free from limiting beliefs, and cultivate a leadership approach that fosters collaboration, innovation, and resilience. Whether you’re leading a team, managing projects, or navigating complex organizational dynamics, the awareness of your own energetic makeup, your attitudes and resulting perspectives are vital to grow and thrive in today’s dynamic workplace landscape.
…And Leading Your Best Life
However, the benefits of the Energy Leadership model extend far beyond the work life. In our personal lives, our energy levels play a crucial role in shaping our relationships, health, financial success, and overall fulfilment. Consider a scenario where you’re constantly operating in a state of stress or negativity (catabolic energy). This not only takes a toll on your well-being but also impacts how you show up for yourself and those around you. How would it feel if you could shift this negative energy to a more positive, supportive energy level that let’s you overcome the challenges you’re facing more easily?
Assessing Your Current Energy Leadership Profile
The first step in moving towards achieving better results is to understand your personal and unique Energy Leadership profile. This is where the ELI Assessment helps you by gaining a deep and profound insight into your personal energy dynamics and how they influence all aspects of your life. The assessment reveals your typical energy profile as a distribution over the 7 levels of energy under normal, or stress-free circumstances. In addition, it reveals your energetic stress reaction, i.a.w. how your energy distribution over the 7 levels looks like in reaction to a stressor.
The 7 levels of energy range from highly catabolic to highly anabolic and every person has a unique profile across all 7 levels, determining how they show up in both normal situations and stress reactions. Each of the 7 level has an impact on your thoughts, emotions, and actions. The way you show up in certain situations depends on your predominant levels of energy.
Additionally, the assessment can highlight specific triggers or situations that tend to impact your energy levels, as well as how you respond to them. This awareness can empower you to recognize and manage your energy more effectively, allowing you to respond to challenges with greater resilience and positivity.
The true benefit of the ELI assessment lies in the awareness that it creates about your own, personal energy profile and your views, beliefs, emotions, and ultimately your actions and behaviors. With this awareness, the ELI assessment can be your starting point for personal and professional growth. It provides you with a roadmap towards personal and professional success by creating the awareness to consciously access your full potential and living authentically in alignment with your values and aspirations. By going on this journey of self-discovery, you open the door to new possibilities, greater resilience, and deeper fulfilment.
What Is Your Energetic Makeup?
Are you ready to take the next step towards becoming the leader of your own life? Then I invite you to take an ELI assessment. Take the opportunity to gain invaluable insights, to unlock your true potential, and to go on a transformative journey towards becoming the best version of yourself.
