Is your leadership energizing or enervating?
Is your leadership empowering or draining? A concise guide to humane, effective transformation that sustains performance....
by Francesca-Giulia Mereu, Jennifer Jordan Published March 21, 2024 in Brain Circuits ⢠3 min read
The daily maintenance of your energy levels can help you thrive at the intense pace expected of leaders today.
Energy is not just physical or psychological â itâs multi-dimensional. Based on our experience over the last 25 years (and building upon the work of Tony Schwartz and others), weâve identified five âenergy batteriesâ that impact leadersâ well-being:
– Depleted by: A lack of sleep, a lack of physical exercise, and poor nutrition.
+ Charged by: Sleep, movement, and a healthy diet.
– Depleted by: Constant demands and interruptions.
+ Charged by: Practicing mindfulness and learning new topics.
– Depleted by: Managing conflict and rehashing hurtful events.
+ Charged by: Enjoyable activities, restorative hobbies, creative practices, and quality time with family and friends.
– Depleted by: Ignoring or neglecting the search for meaning.
+ Charged by: Time in nature, volunteer work, religious traditions, spiritual practices, and introspective activities.
– Depleted by: Feeling unsafe at home, feeling underappreciated at work, and worrying about the well-being of loved ones.
+ Charged by: Living and working in a supportive and safe environment, spending time in nature, and engaging in social activities with friends and colleagues (outside of traditional work activities).
Examining each of these five batteries can give you a clearer, more palpable sense of what recharges your energy â and what drains it. The next steps are to implement restorative mini-habits. If you wish to put these ideas into action, try out the anonymous online Energy Check.
Executive coach
FrancescaâGiulia Mereu is an executive coach with over 25 yearsâ experience, specializing in personal energy management and leadership transition. She is the author of Recharge Your Batteries, a certified yoga teacher, and creator of the popular âEnergy Checkâ online tool. She coaches senior leaders at IMD and through CCHN, the Center of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. She shares more energy-focused posts via her LinkedIn private group.
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD. Jenniferâs teaching, research, and consulting focus on the areas of digital leadership, ethics, influence, and power. She has received specialized training and certifications in lie and truthfulness detection, as well as in conflict resolution within organizations. She is Program Director of the Women on Boards and the Leadership Essentials program, and co-Director of the Leading Digital Execution program.
8 hours ago ⢠by Shelley Zalis in Brain Circuits
Is your leadership empowering or draining? A concise guide to humane, effective transformation that sustains performance....
September 15, 2026 ⢠by Naomi Haefner in Brain Circuits
Discover why cybersecurity begins with people: continuous training and psychological safety that harden defenses beyond technology alone....
September 10, 2026 ⢠by Amit Joshi in Brain Circuits
CHROs can help businesses move past mistrust of AI and support workforce adoption. Ask yourself these six questions to make sure youâre easing the way and not piling on top-down pressure. ...
September 9, 2026 ⢠by Ginka Toegel in Brain Circuits
Uncover how redesigning leadership machinery removes systemic barriers to women in leadership with measurable governance and sponsorship....
Executive coach
FrancescaâGiulia Mereu is an executive coach with over 25 yearsâ experience, specializing in personal energy management and leadership transition. She is the author of Recharge Your Batteries, a certified yoga teacher, and creator of the popular âEnergy Checkâ online tool. She coaches senior leaders at IMD and through CCHN, the Center of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation. She shares more energy-focused posts via her LinkedIn private group.
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior
Jennifer Jordan is a social psychologist and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior at IMD. Jenniferâs teaching, research, and consulting focus on the areas of digital leadership, ethics, influence, and power. She has received specialized training and certifications in lie and truthfulness detection, as well as in conflict resolution within organizations. She is Program Director of the Women on Boards and the Leadership Essentials program, and co-Director of the Leading Digital Execution program.
Explore first person business intelligence from top minds curated for a global executive audience