Leading with Purpose: The Transformation from Manager to Leader
Welcome to a super engaging blog post where I’ll cover:
Anabolic vs catabolic energy
How to tell if you’re a catabolic or anabolic leader
The impacts of each leadership style
Change the way you think about delegation
See an anabolic leader in action
Your turn! A leadership challenge 😊
Navigating the complexities of today’s leadership landscape can feel like a daunting task. All leaders face a myriad of challenges that require adaptability and resilience. Here, you’ll explore powerful strategies to help you intentionally become the influential, engaging leader you were meant to be.
How well do you lead?
According to iPEC’s (the Institute for Professional Excellence in Coaching) definition, every one of us is a leader. How well you lead depends on your level of consciousness or energy.
Effective leadership is associated with higher levels of anabolic energy. What is that, and how does it differ from catabolic energy?
Anabolic energy is all about building UPward:
At work or home, great leaders build relationships, teams, families, and businesses.
Anabolic energy is constructive, expanding, rejuvenating, and sustainable…positive!
Our bodies use the anabolic process for growth, building up.
Then there’s catabolic energy. It’s about:
Breaking down, not building up – catabolic leaders have a destructive effect on others.
Catabolic energy is draining, constrictive, restricts growth…negative.
Catabolism is the process our bodies employ to generate energy to offset a stressor.
How to tell if you’re a catabolic or anabolic leader?
You’re probably wondering whether you’re an anabolic or a catabolic leader. You might even know (or can guess).
First things first, let’s explore the overall leadership style of someone who is a catabolic leader. They:
Manage. Control. Dominate. Influence.
Tell others what to do – and how to do it.
Like to control others. They work hard at it!
Use tactics to keep others in a non-powerful position.
Complain to anyone who will hear, “I can’t find good help.” “No one does things as good as I do.”
Two key behaviors: Over-delegating and telling (or demanding) something of others.
In contrast, anabolic leaders…lead. They:
Aren’t focused on controlling people.
Don’t push, coerce or use force to get what they want.
Inspire other by words, action & by personal example.
Emphasize empowerment and support.
Guide, uplift and encourage others.
Two key behaviors: They participate, and they request that someone does something.
“Each of us is greater and wiser than we appear to be,” is one of iPEC’s foundational principles. Anabolic leaders align with this truth, so they don’t feel the need to dictate and direct with force. They understand that everyone has their own answers and gifts.
Each leadership style has major impacts
Contrary to what you might believe, being an effective leader isn't all internal! Does that surprise you? In reality, it’s 50% mindset and 50% consciously creating a team dynamic to support the collective initiatives.
There’s a big difference between telling and requesting something of someone – and the results you get couldn’t be more opposite.
For example, say a catabolic leader TELLS or DEMANDS that someone does something right now. Most likely, that person will respond catabolically. They might say something like “I won’t,” “I have to,” or “I need to.”
In contrast, imagine that an anabolic leader REQUESTS that someone does something or ASKS for someone’s input on a project. It makes sense that they’re much more likely to receive an anabolic response such as - “I want to” or “I choose to.”
When we give others the freedom to have choices and input in the tasks we ask them to perform, it empowers them to embrace the job and use their strengths to accomplish the goal. The best part? When we do this, often they outperform our expectations.
It’s simple: The more anabolic the leader, the higher the probability of success in the task.
Change the way you think about delegation as a leader
Let’s take a quick look at the differences between “delegate” and “participate,” courtesy of Webster’s dictionary:
Delegate = “to entrust to the care or management of another; to transfer; to assign; to commit.
Participate = “to partake of; to share in; to receive a part of.”
You probably believe that delegation is something you need to do to be effective as a leader…to get things done on time and on budget. True enough.
Yet, anabolic leaders take it a step further: When a catabolic leader delegates a task to someone else, they’re done with it (or so they hope). When an anabolic leader participates in the task with another person, that other person knows they are supported and valued while doing the work.
Which scenario do you think yields better results for everyone involved?
Just because you participate definitely doesn’t mean you have to do it all! Rather, it suggests simply being available to others, without hesitation. Your team will know you’re willing to do what is asked or needed of you.
The Anabolic Leader…in action
Envision that a small business owner is expanding from two retail locations to three. The owner of the company assigns tasks to key staff members.
If the company is catabolic, the owner may receive occasional progress reports, otherwise, he remains out of the picture until everything is complete. At this point, the staff is either praised or reprimanded based on what they’ve accomplished.
If the company is anabolic, the owner not only follows up frequently with the staff, he is also on hand to pitch in and work alongside them. Everyone knows he is “part of the team” – and willing to do whatever is needed. Because the leader has been “in the trenches” with them, both the staff and owner know where everyone is at during each stage of the project.
It should be obvious which type of company will enjoy the benefit of more engaged workers who strive to do a great job. Likewise, I’m sure you can guess which leader has the greater likelihood of earning the respect of others and inspiring greatness…
Your turn! A Leadership Challenge
Going forward, dive deep to consider how you might be more of an anabolic leader – even if you think you already are one. As you interact with your team, see if you can find more ways to lead and participate – rather than just managing and delegating.
Go from “fine” to “fantastic” in leadership! Need a little help to get there? You got it!
Increase your anabolic leadership skills through our comprehensive Energy Leadership Index assessment and debrief. The ELI allows people to literally re-write the rules that they live their lives by. For more information, or to sign up click here: Energy Leadership Information.