CHANGE REQUIRES ENERGY! Leading healthily - Personal energy management in times of fundamental change.

The successful management of 'change' is currently the greatest challenge for the leadership elite of our companies. I would like to share with you a fundamental strategy in the following, which is often completely ignored. The Technological Explosion There is no doubt that we are living in an era of fundamental change. A change that will shake the foundations of our previous lives. Never before in history has technological progress taken off at such a rapid pace. The first nearly 20 years of the new millennium have already delivered more innovations to humanity than the entire 20th century. This has created the VUCA world - characterized by volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. In a time of such stormy developments, companies are required to undergo significant and sometimes dramatic processes of change in operational, organizational, and cultural areas. Certainly, very few companies are not affected by such upheavals. Change and Leadership Change in a company always means changes for people. Leaders must not only initiate and carry out these change processes, but above all, they must take their employees on this journey, motivate them, and inspire them. Changing the state of a system, be it a biological system or a corporation - always requires an investment of energy. In the case of a business enterprise, people must make this energetic investment, primarily those who lead the company. However, only what is available can be invested. Energy is no different from financial resources. Therefore, the indispensable and completely underestimated prerequisite for successful change management is an effective, practical energy management by the leadership elite. 75% of Transformation Processes Fail In the last decade, 87% of companies initiated transformation processes. 75% of them failed. Why? Successful, sustainable 'change' requires a high level of energy from the people who are supposed to undergo the transformation. It is the 'sine qua non' for inspiration, motivation, and joy of innovation. Necessary changes cannot be effectively implemented with tired, exhausted people. Fatigue instinctively resists change. Those who are drained remain in their comfort zone and are not willing to embrace innovations. The reason is simple: the initiation and design of any renewal require strength and energy. The energetic state of the leaders, their mental and physical condition, motivates or demotivates employees, either inspiring them or leaving them energetically starved. Successful Change Releases Energy Behind every renewal stands the intention to optimize and secure future viability. A meaningful change must release unnecessary bound energy as a result. According to the Gallup study, which measures the engagement index in companies annually, 85% of employees are disengaged - 15% are engaged. This leads to annual losses of 105 billion euros for the German economy. Faced with this sobering waste of resources, it is not surprising why necessary change often fails. However, only companies that are agile and adaptable, without losing their inner stability in the process of change, will survive. This ability is called organizational ambidexterity. When change succeeds, it unleashes energy and enthusiasm in people and companies that can be meaningfully used for growth. Energy Management is the Basis for Successful Change Management The Gallup study has shown that the most important factor for low motivation, productivity, and willingness to perform of employees is poor leadership. However, leaders are under enormous pressure. Long working hours, constant availability, lack of sleep, intense travel, poor and irregular nutrition, high consumption of stimulants, lack of exercise, lack of light, private stress due to limited time for family - all these seemingly unavoidable circumstances of a manager's life deplete a person's energy account and lead to energetic insolvency. Lack of drive, apathy, exhaustion are the consequences. A leader must not admit such weaknesses to themselves or others, as they do not fit the self-image and external image of a manager. 'Survival of the fittest' is a fundamental evolutionary principle. The strong and adaptable will survive. Agility requires fresh, strong leaders and, despite all flexibility, a stable corporate structure. Therefore, every change management should be underpinned by a simple, practical, and intelligent energy management. There are simple rules for this that are often overlooked in the business and work world. Just as a company's balance sheet is strictly focused on ensuring that income and expenses are in a healthy relationship, every person must strive not to constantly overdraw their energy account. Energy management begins with analyzing one's personal energy balance. The conscious comparison of energy sources and energy robbers, of income and expenses, almost always leads to the realization that the expense side significantly outweighs the income side. This insight creates readiness for change. Such a change is most successful when it happens in small steps and is individually tailored. In addition to one's own sources of strength that are important to a person, there are 10 elementary energy sources that are essential for everyone. If a company pays attention to these for its employees, the goal of change is achieved: reviving the values in the VUCA world that are found in the same acronym - namely Vision, Understanding, Clarity, Agility. Without energy, this does not work.