Use a positive mindset to protect your leadership energy

Don't let the negative mindsets of others drain your energy, writes CEO coach Jamie Shapiro, who recommends setting boundaries on how you interact with them, being aware of how you can influence them for the better and what is out of your control and cultivating a positive mindset by practicing gratitude. "As it's often impossible to fully ignore others' negative energy in the workplace, it's essential to care for your well-being to refill your energy from this leadership drain," Shapiro notes.

Put it into practice: Identify those in the office who drain your energy by gauging how you feel after an encounter and setting boundaries around how much time you spend with that person and how you communicate in the future to protect your energy, Shapiro writes. "Be most aware when you feel consistently drained after interacting with someone."

Doing away with job titles can help teams grow and learn at their own pace, writes Noah Cantor, a tech leadership coach, though he emphasizes that pay raises are still achievable without changing titles. When a team has the same job title, "[i]t becomes a way to unite people on purpose rather than divide them into responsibilities," Cantor writes.

Put it into practice: Flexible job descriptions start at the junior level and progress up to the principal level. "Having more flexible job descriptions changes how people progress," Cantor writes.

Talk to your co-workers without getting frustrated by changing your communication style depending on the audience, writes Leah Mether, the author of "Steer Through the Storm: How to Communicate and Lead Courageously Through Change." Mether offers tips on how to communicate with the four communication types: aggressive, passive, passive-aggressive and assertive communicators.

Put it into practice: Above all, remain calm when dealing with communicators of any type. "By staying calm, being considered, and fostering open communication, you can navigate conversations more effectively and increase your chances of being heard while bringing out the best in others," Mether writes.

Leaders must educate themselves about what drives their business and also be aware of the challenges their teams will face and do all they can to help them succeed and build trust by being "down to earth and approachable," says Jeff Weinstein, co-founder & CEO of TranscendAP. "Set an example by the actions and work ethic you have for the business ... be a role model by demonstrating effort, workmanship and respect you have for others," Weinstein says.

If making a concerted effort to think through a decision leaves you mentally and physically spent, researchers at Radboud University in the Netherlands found a reason for that -- mental effort is "clearly associated with negative feelings." The discomfort may explain why we tend to take the path of least resistance, but professor Stephanie Cox at West Virginia University School of Medicine in Morgantown notes, "We do not want to steer clear of all activities that are meaningful and valuable in our lives just because they may be taxing."

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Being around constantly negative people, or those with an "unproductive mindset," as Jamie Shapiro puts it, can be draining. Years ago, I had a new-age friend who called these kinds of people "energy vampires" because they suck the life right out of you. I had not been aware of how certain people in my life at that time emotionally drained me until my friend enlightened me about this term.

Shapiro's advice on how to deal with energy vampires is sound. Limiting contact is the best way to maintain your energy, but often, those who exhaust us are co-workers, family members or others we must see on a regular basis. The burden is then on our shoulders to maintain our well-being. We must learn, then, how to set boundaries and find practices such as grounding techniques or deep breathing to deal with them. Finding support through friends or a therapist, we can talk through our feelings with can also help. Using redirection during conversations to steer the person away from negative talk to more positive topics is also worth trying, as is using email or texting to avoid face-to-face communication when possible.

"Leaders only have so much energy," Shapiro points out. "Directing it in the right place matters. Your energy is best served in the places you can control and influence."

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