Do you ever wonder about the amount of energy expended on matters that don’t really matter? How many times have you heard, “Work smarter, not harder?” Or, how about the book, Never Work Harder Than Your Students…? Sage words that we should all remember! But, do we?

I just read a blog from the EBLIN Group (eblingroup.com/blog) entitled, “Put Limits on Your Energy Drainers.” The blog is a great reminder that oftentimes, we can’t see the forest for the trees in our daily work. We tend to get swept up in the moment and try to do everything or be everything for each person with whom we work. We want to do the “right” thing and ensure that we provide our colleagues with as much support as they need. But, we can’t confuse giving support with helping our colleagues find their own voices. To do that, we must be clear on what we are doing, why we are doing “it,” and how we should go about getting “it” done. And that’s what Scott Eblin says is the “optimal mix of energy.”

His three tips for maximizing your energy:

1. Assess your energy “givers” and your energy “drainers.” If your energy is sapped every time you        think of something you must do or someone with whom you must do “it,” that’s a drain and you          need to re-assess the endeavor. If you are energized by thinking about a topic or person, that’s              where you want to spend your time;

2. Spend time with those energy boosters; they fill your bucket!

3. Make realistic goals when working with those energy “sappers.” Give those topics and colleagues

    some of your time and energy but save the real investment for those energy “givers.” And, over

    time, maybe those energy “drainers” will become some of your energy “givers!”

How do you differentiate your support to both the energy “givers” and energy “drainers” in your coaching experiences?