Blog: Personal Energy - What Fuel Are You Burning at Work?
For centuries, mankind used clean, renewable fuel to get work done. Wind powered our ships, and waterwheels ground our grain.
But once we discovered crude oil, everything changed. Fossil fuel burned hotter and faster than renewable energy so we jumped on board, increasing our productivity by unfathomed multiples.
Two centuries later, we are seeing the devastating impact of fossil fuel on our ecosystem. Renewable energy is at the front of our minds, once again.
Just look at the close of 2015, when energy was a hot topic! The price of crude oil dropped dramatically, the cost of utilities skyrocketed, and a landmark agreement to transition to clean energy was signed by 195 countries in December.
The world is constantly thinking about energy. What we are burning? Where are we getting it from? How long will it last? And what impact does it have on our ecosystem?
Interestingly, we understand the consequences of burning fossil fuel on our ecosystem. However, we don’t seem to get the consequences of burning fossil fuel in the workplace.
Renewable fuel vs. fossil fuel
Allow me to explain further. When it comes to “fuel”—or personal energy—in the workplace, I’m referring to two very different kinds.
Hundreds of years ago, in the age of artisans, people burned and were driven by “renewable fuel” like passion, pride, purpose and connection.
Why do I call these things renewable? Because although the stone mason flopped down on his bed exhausted after a long day of work, his passion and pride woke him up in the morning—powerful jolts of intrinsic motivation that would fuel him through another demanding day. Like the wind and the sun, these fuels aren’t accessible 24/7, but they certainly are renewable.
However, fundamental changes to the way work was done came about during the Industrial Revolution. Fuelled by a hunger for increased productivity and profit, the workplace moved from a cottage industry to a factory system where people became tools, control became paramount, and employees were driven by intimidation/threats, micro-managing, positional power and judgment.
These “fossil fuels” burned hot and got instant results. But the byproducts were burnt-out, bitter, disenfranchised employees: early seeds that would grow into the union/strike mentality in due time.
Fossil fuel in today’s workplace
Today, workplace conditions are significantly better than in the Industrial Revolution—but we still see organizations burning fossil fuel to keep their managers and employees engaged and striving.
For example:
- a manager may pit one employee against another, and unhealthy competition revs up the system; or
- results may surge due to a powerful leader’s use of guilt, shame, or manipulation—leaving an oily residue spilling out into the organization’s ecosystem.