Let’s pretend for a minute that it’s your job to water 3 indoor plants.  You’re given a watering can and told to split the water evenly between the 3 plants.  You water the first two plants, and come to the final one.  It’s a cactus.  You know that the cactus doesn’t need that much water, so instead of giving it 1/3 of the bucket like you were told to you just give it a little.  Later, your boss asks you why you didn’t use all the water.  You explain that the cactus doesn’t need that much water.  Your boss tells you it doesn’t matter, give the cactus the rest of the water.  From then on, you divide the water between the 3 plants equally, even though it doesn’t make sense.  You begin to realize there are other flowers, and they are dying.  You can’t do anything for them though, because you don’t have any water left.

What does this weird plant story have to do with anything?  What if in this story water represents energy and the plants represent different projects.  Have you ever been in a situation where you had multiple projects and even though 1 of them was clearly more important and impactful, you were still expected to invest a lot of energy into EVERYTHING you were doing?  This has happened to me.  This is like overwatering a cactus.  It doesn’t make sense.  Projects are a lot like plants, you should give them the amount of water (energy) needed, and no more.  Then, we should invest that extra energy for all those other important aspects of life like being a human, taking care of yourself/others, socializing, etc.

How do we practice this?  Leaders needs to first UNDERSTAND and then REALISITCALLY set expectations about the energy required to do things.  As individuals, we need to be focused on expending our energy where it really matters.  The challenge: As a leader, are you encouraging people to overwater a cactus (overinvest in something that isn’t worth it)?  As an individual, how are you managing your energy supply?

Bonus story 1: One time I was talking to a boss of mine during a 1 on 1.  They asked how I was doing.  I explained that with everything going on, I was on my B game right now.  I wasn’t putting in all the energy and having the impact I’d normally like to, because I was putting my energy towards handling other things.  My boss replied by saying that was understandable and that they’ve been there.  In fact, they were feeling that way right now.  I went on to say that all that matters is I’m on my A game when it actually matters.  My boss agreed and then said something like, “If we’re honest, now is an okay time to be on a B game.  We can get through that and then get back to our A game when we need to.”  When is the last time you had an open conversation like this with your boss?  How would it feel if you did have a conversation like this with your boss?  For me, the conversation had a huge positive impact on my wellness and engagement.  If you’re a leader looking for what you can do to promote wellness, this could be a good place to start. 

Bonus story 2: I recently sent the below email to my agency partners.  I don’t run a team, but I partner with folks.  I can set expectations with them, so they the freedom to use their energy in better ways.

I know that in a perfect world we would launch X tactic in mid-February.  Let’s be more realistic.  If the tactic  is launched somewhere in the end of February/early March we are still in good shape.  I don’t want us running ourselves to death on this.  I don’t want the pursuit of perfection to lead to burnout.  You’re worth more than the tactic.  If you ever feel like I am asking you to sprint like crazy toward burnout, please tell me.  It’s likely because I’m not realizing an ask is creating substantial work for you.  At that point we can regroup, I can learn, and we can figure out how to adjust. 

Have a jolly good day,

Andrew Embry