Annette’s client, Emma*, is a young key account manager working for a mid-size consulting firm advising international companies in the financial industry. She holds master’s degrees in Economics and English and has spent half her life living abroad.

Situation

She contacted Annette because she felt stuck in her current work situation; having already tried various different approaches to push forward her career, all to no avail. She felt she was standing in her own way and was desperate to dissolve whatever it was that was hindering her progress.

Goals

Emma appeared very ambitious and slightly impatient; she wanted to see results fast. To jump-start the coaching process, she was keen to complete the Energy Leadership™ assessment that Annette had suggested to her.

The purpose of the Energy Leadership™ assessment is to

  • see how different types of energy present themselves in your home and work life
  • zero in on how your thinking or your life situations might be creating stress and what can be done about it
  • uncover internal energy blocks which are holding you back from success, happiness and purpose.

These aims tied in with Emma’s overall objectives for the coaching process, which were:

  1. To strengthen her self-esteem and confidence and enhance her public-speaking capabilities;
  2. To let go of any negative thoughts she might be harboring connected with her former relationship with a highly depressive partner;
  3. To investigate new job opportunities and plan for a future assignment in the Asia-Pacific region.

Energy Leadership™ Assessment – Process

The Energy Leadership™ assessment can be accessed via an online tool. It requires the client to answer 70 questions, and typically takes around 25 minutes. Annette asked Emma to answer the items spontaneously, intuitively and honestly.

After Emma had submitted the assessment online, Annette received her energy report. In preparation for their debrief session, Annette sent the report to Emma asking her to “just read” through her results, make note of any questions that arise and pay attention to her thoughts and emotions while reading it.

The concept of Energy Leadership™ is based on seven levels of energy covering the range between both ends of the energy spectrum. The highest levels of energy are anabolic, and associated with unconditional love, nonjudgmental thinking, creation, solution-orientation and joy. The lowest levels are catabolic, and based on victim-thinking and the connected emotions such as anxiety, anger, low self-esteem, disappointment and struggle.
In their debrief session, Annette provided Emma with information on each of the seven levels, and together they discovered how the respective energies showed up in her current life.

Results

What Emma gained more awareness of during the debrief session:
As a single child, she still feels she needs to meet her very successful parents’ expectations. Their relationship is very distant and rational; they are not emotionally available for each other. She avoids any conflict or confrontation with them.
Emma is still rationalizing experiences with her former partner who was depressive. She realized that she was co-dependent.
In the office, she works hard and often times outside of her comfort zone. However, there is no support from more senior staff or managers and no acknowledgment of her achievements. The only feedback she receives is criticism. The relationship with her line manager is challenging and her analytical-rational behavioral preference almost exacerbates this.
She is a perfectionist. Perfectionism can be a helpful driver; however, in conjunction with her high introversion, hers had become counter-productive.

Takeaways
Emma started to see different options on how to shift her energy from catabolic to anabolic, and thus realize more of her leadership potential. She immediately started taking more ownership for her own self-management, which led to more balance and less procrastination.

Through the Energy Leadership™ Assessment Emma gained access to her internal energy blocks quickly and easily. She was open to changing the interplay of her thoughts, emotions and behavior and ready for the next steps in her coaching process.

Curious to find out more? Contact me to find out if coaching is right for you.

*name changed