ARE YOU AN ENERGIZER?

A study out of the University of Virginia found that "someone who is energizing elevates the performance of other people around them."

But "energizers" are different than high-energy people with lots of charisma, who tend to "generate what psychologists call 'high arousal emotions' in others."

Energizing behavior is about letting other people know they matter.  The ability to energize isn’t a function of personality; it has to do with the behaviors you exhibit in your interactions with others.  For example, when someone approaches to speak with you, you should devote your physical presence and undivided attention to that person.  Even a shy person can be energizing in this way.

Each summer in our Ready for the Game Camp, I usually tell a story about Magic Johnson that focuses on his ability to be a great energizer to those around him.

You see, Magic was known as being a “ladies man” and usually had a girlfriend in every city the Lakers played in.  Magic would routinely pick up the phone and call each one of his girlfriends to say “hey baby…it’s Magic.  I was just sitting here thinking about you and wanted to say hi.”  Of course, each of his 28 girlfriends would then hang up the phone and say something like “oh…that was so sweet of him.  I really love Magic.”  

Magic knew the impact that focused attention can have on others.  He would routinely call a teammate (or all of his teammates) after a practice or game and say something like “hey Cooper [Michael Cooper], it’s Magic…man I just wanted to tell you that you really hustled on defense in today’s practice...I bet there’s nobody in this league that you can’t stop.”  Or maybe “…hey James [James Worthy], man you were really strokin’ that 3-pointer today in practice.  I can’t wait to feed you the ball during our next game and watch you shoot the lights out.”

What do think Magic’s teammates said after they hung up the phone???  How about something like “man, I really love playing with Magic.”

And how much effort do you think Cooper put into his defense during the next game?  Or how hard James ran the floor to get open knowing Magic wanted to feed him the ball?  Not only did Magic make them feel good about him, but he made them feel good about themselves.  He instilled confidence and inspired them to be better. 

Just that little bit of focused attention and encouragement did wonders for Magic’s teammates. 

Don’t get me wrong, an energizer isn’t a cheerleader or a wild-eyed optimist; she simply focuses on the opportunities rather than the constraints. 

Be an energizer to somebody…better yet, be an energizer to everybody!

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