"Energy management is a skill that will make your employees accomplish as much as if they had 28-hour days. What's more, they'll enjoy them," writes Ľudmila on her website, where she is contacted by individuals, but especially by companies that want to teach their employees how to use their energy optimally. So that they work shorter hours but more efficiently.
How to achieve this? What are the most common signals that something is wrong? And how did Ludmila get into energy management? Read in this interview.
You worked in HR for more than 10 years before you started to focus on training and mentoring in the field of wellbeing and energy management. What led you to this change?
I suffered from a similar illness as many other HRists. My work was meaningful and there were always many things that needed to be done. So my life was all about work. When my daughter was born, I decided I didn't want to beat myself up for missing her Christmas party one day. I figured I probably wouldn't make it in corporate and started my own business while on maternity leave.
But as time went on, I realized that I hadn't solved my problem at all. I realized that it's not about whether I work in a corporation or in my own company, but about how I change my own functioning. It was the energy management methodology that helped me solve my own problem. From there, it was just a step to starting development programs on the subject.
What knowledge and skills that you gained as an HR manager are applicable in your current role?
I first encountered the energy management methodology when I was still in my role as an HR business partner. At that time we were solving a work-life balance problem in the company. We regularly had excellent results in motivation surveys, people were engaged and willing to go the extra mile. But as a consequence of their commitment, work-life balance repeatedly came out as our worst parameter.
Our first attempts at solutions were very similar to what I see now in many companies that are addressing wellbeing - introducing various benefits such as office yoga. Of course, this didn't work. It was only education towards energy management that worked. That's when people realised that there are many things they can do to improve their wellbeing. Because stress is often not just caused by busyness itself, but mainly by the feeling of not being in control.
I still draw from this experience. I know what worked and what didn't work, and with hindsight I can see what we could have done even better at the time.
What are the most common signals that something is wrong and it's time to start paying attention?
There are several typical signals. One of them is the feeling that I'm constantly chasing and not keeping up, that I'm like a hamster in a wheel. Another is a feeling of general tiredness and exhaustion. The feeling that I'm not keeping up with life. The tendency to procrastinate, even though I know I won't be able to keep up afterwards, can also point to a lack of energy. An absolute warning sign is when you are no longer enjoying even the things that used to give you joy and when your life is "going grey".
What does the layman understand by energy management?
This is best explained in comparison to time management. Time management teaches us how to use our time efficiently. Energy management shows that the relationship between time and results is not directly proportional. More time spent on work does not mean we get more done.
We waste time on a task when we have no ideas or can't focus. Or when we're held back by thoughts like: why should I do this, my boss is going to give me a makeover anyway. Conversely, when we have enough energy, we can do the same tasks in less time and often with better results.
Energy management is about the principles that enable us to maintain high levels of energy and not only be productive but also enjoy our lives.
When we have enough energy, we can get tasks done in less time and often with better results.
In addition to helping individuals, you specialize in helping companies that care about the mental health and productivity of their employees. Do you see a growing interest in this area?
I definitely perceive that more and more companies are focusing on the topic of wellbeing. Over the last 100 years, working conditions such as working hours and workplace have remained virtually unchanged, although the pace and nature of work has changed dramatically due to technology, which has brought with it an increase in stress and mental health issues. Companies are aware of this and are trying to do something about it. It has to be said, however, that most companies are struggling with this and are trying various band-aids in the form of benefits.
My clients are from different fields, but what they have in common is that they have already passed this stage. They are companies with a healthy corporate culture that have been dealing with the topic of employee motivation and satisfaction for a long time. Companies where HR is truly a partner of management.
At what stage are the companies that approach you with an interest in cooperation?
These are companies that have high demands on employees and their productivity, but at the same time have motivated employees. They perceive that it is not easy for their people to balance work with their other life roles, and they look for ways to support them in doing so. They are companies that recognise that wellbeing and productivity go hand in hand.
What does the process of cooperation with companies look like? And what should it ideally look like in practice after your training?
It depends on the size of the company. In larger companies I worked primarily with HR, in smaller ones with the management. But I am increasingly trying to reach out mainly to the management, because not every company has an HR department that is in a position to push such a program.
Ideally, an energy management development programme starts from the top leaders and works its way down through the organisation in various forms. The outcomes are then twofold. First, the leaders themselves and the people in the organization make changes in their lives that help them have more energy. It's all about building new habits. Mostly it's small things, but they have a big impact.
On the other hand, when leaders understand that more time behind the computer does not mean better productivity, they come up with suggestions for changes within the company's operations. And they are also more open to suggestions from their people. But again - this is the ideal scenario and I haven't gotten that far with any organization yet. Most of the time, we're just doing some of this and the impact is primarily at the individual level, not the organization.
More time on the computer does not mean more productivity.
Is it possible to use metrics in this area as well to assess the before and after status and overall progress of the team after your mentoring?
It certainly does, and it is best to build on what the organisation is already measuring. At a company-wide level, motivation surveys are a good source of data, and at a team level, for example, the 360-degree feedback method can be added if it is used regularly in the company. There are also methodologies for measuring burnout levels, such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory, which can be combined with benchmarking productivity-focused KPIs.
What about your personal progress? Do you have any specific goals you would like to achieve in your business?
I feel like I don't want to rush anywhere anymore, in my business or in life in general. I'm past that stage. I want to do what I enjoy and what gives me purpose while being able to enjoy every day and the time I have available. I guess you could sum it up by saying that my goal is just to enjoy the journey. 🙂
In what situations do you most often realize that what you are doing is really meaningful?
I feel it most with my children. When I pick them up from preschool or school, I don't push them to get something done. When I can fully focus on their craziness, but also the issues that are bothering them.
What I develop in others, I live myself. I am not always 100% successful, but it is with my children that I am most aware that it makes sense. It's more about the everyday moments than the big successes and powerful stories.
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