Walk Off Winning

8The Value of Real Energy

After a big win, we often hear the coach talking about the energy their team possessed. Or the CEO of a successful organization speaks of the great intensity and vigor the employees put forth in order to make the quarterly earnings report to shareholders the best in its the company's history.

“The energy in the clubhouse was electric tonight!” a coach or player might say. “Our sales team put together a proposal that will surely land the account we've been after for six months now. I appreciate the energy they put into this effort!” a supervisor announces to the company.

Yet what is energy? Is it science? A cosmic force that we cannot explain?

Energy is one of those words that have multiple definitions. It could apply to an active person, or to usable power, such as a heating source. When a group leader uses the term to describe a positive trait with an organization or team, it's typically to commend everyone for their effort when accomplishing a task or goal. But I find myself asking, “What is real energy?”

In my opinion, the word energy is overused. I constantly hear coaches and business leaders use it, and it appears in books and movies and on advertisement billboards. Yet the people using this term often don't have the slightest clue what it means to have it!

We previously discussed real versus fake toughness and the posturing that athletes sometimes do in order to intimidate their opponents, like the “hold me back” scenario on the 50-yard line at ...