The following article is the fourth passage of our Corporate Sufi Habit series and is a supplement to the following interview covering How to Prioritize Personal Energy Management. In this dialogue, Azim and Salim deliberate on how Corporate Sufi leaders manage their energy to hit the highs required to succeed in their day-to-day tasks. There is a real need for leaders to always be pumped and ready for action. Thus, mastering one’s energy management routine is a critical leadership skill that helps fuel our actions, shape our influence, and power the impact we have on those around us and the results we produce.
Watch the full interview here!
The Leadership Energy Advantage
What exactly is Energy Management for Leaders?
It begins with energy, and understanding your peaks and valleys. The positive vibes and negative forces that affect how you feel and function. Productivity isn’t something you can just turn on at will. It naturally ebbs and flows throughout the day, guided by your internal body clock, or circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates your energy levels, alertness, and even your mood, affecting your ability to perform at your best.
Different people have different cycles. For instance, Haruki Murakami, one of the world’s greatest living novelists, is known for his strict early morning routine. He wakes up at 4:00 a.m. and writes for five to six hours straight. In contrast, Mark Zuckerberg has openly said he’s never been a morning person, while Genius co-founder Tom Lehman finds his most productive hours between 3:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Clearly, there’s no universal “best” time to work—it depends on your natural rhythms.
Other examples of leaders who manage their energy at a high level:
- Oprah Winfrey – A leader who is centred, authentic, empathetic, and purpose-driven; connects on a personal level through deep values, trust and relatability; is seamlessly with her mentorship and philanthropy, all of which make her a unique and influential leader.
- Arianna Huffington – A leader who champions the importance of well-being, self-care, and empathy; advocates for holistic success endeavours, emphasizing connections between personal well-being and organizational performance by encouraging colleagues to pause for reflection and mindfulness.
- LeBron James – He is known for his mental fortitude and ability to rally his teammates with a unique combination of on-court skills, off-court activism, and a relentless pursuit of excellence, both in basketball and beyond the court.
- Tony Robbins – His energetic and engaging public speaking style, his focus on personal transformation and practical strategies, and his ability to connect with individuals on a deeply emotional level show the importance of having discipline, clear goals, and continuous improvement in both personal and professional life.
- New Zealand All Blacks Rugby Team – Despite being one of the most successful sports teams in history, the All Blacks are known not just for physical excellence but for how they manage mental, emotional, and cultural energy as a team. Their system has even inspired corporate teams and leadership groups worldwide to excel in their human energy management potential.
These top leaders have mastered how to stay finely tuned with their energy peaks and valleys. They have mastered how to turn their peaks into performance highs and lows into motivational moments!
How Leaders Manage Their Energy
When a leader walks into a room, the electricity is palpable. It’s not just about their charisma or authority but about the actual energy they emanate. Their energy plays a part in setting the tone for their teams, influencing the overall mood and productivity. This is why understanding and optimizing your personal energy is so essential for effective transformational leadership.
Here are some practical strategies to optimize your energy:
Know Your Peak Energy Times: Understand when your energy is naturally high and low. Some people are at their best in the early morning, while others hit their stride in the afternoon or evening. Schedule your most challenging tasks for your peak hours. For instance, I find my focus and creativity are at their highest in the early morning, so I tackle my most challenging work then. My wife, on the other hand, hits her stride later in the day, aligning her toughest tasks accordingly.
Focus on Meaningful Work: Engage in work that aligns with your natural gifts and talents. When you work in your zone of genius, you’re more likely to sustain high energy levels. Example: Warren Buffett spends much of his day reading and researching, aligning his work with his natural strengths. This energizes him, while others might find this mentally exhausting.
Live a Balanced Life: Invest time in your body, mind, and soul. This can include exercise, meditation, and inspirational reading.
Lead by Example: As a leader, your actions speak louder than your words. Be the role model of balance, resilience, and focus that you expect from others.
Control What You Can: Focus on the things you can influence, not the things you can’t. This aligns with the Serenity Prayer: “Lord grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference.”
Prioritize Recovery and Rest: Physical energy depends on proper sleep, nutrition, and regular recovery. Mental energy, meanwhile, benefits from mindfulness, digital detoxes, and prioritization.
Bounce Back Stronger: When challenges arise, use them as opportunities to grow, not just to survive. Resilience is a critical trait of effective leaders.
Act as a Coach: Energize others by serving as a mentor and coach, creating a ripple effect of positive energy throughout your organization.
Digital Discipline: Limit screen time and avoid multitasking to reduce cognitive overload.
The 90-10 Rule: Focusing your efforts on the core 10% to give you 90% of the outcome is a good way to optimize energy.
Batch Tasks to Reduce Decision Fatigue: Group similar tasks to maintain mental flow.
Plan for Distractions: Use a “focus buffer” to handle interruptions without losing momentum.
SPARK Tips to Springboard Your Energy
Other ways to jump start your energy is to rekindle the SPARK concepts we have covered in past posts, including:
- Strive to go from the present you to the best you
- Focus on significance, not just success
- Be in a flow state by using your natural birth-day gift
- Repeat your affirmations with intensity, clarity, frequency to become a living magnet that attracts serendipitous circumstances and events to assist your affirmations
- Always have a spark of hope and never an ounce of despair
- Believe you are in a perfect position to make a new beginning, no matter where you are in your journey
- Create a WOW vision by asking, ‘if nothing could stop me from achieving what would I dare to achieve?’
- Live fully in the moment
- Have zero doubt about the future
- Imagine your vocation feeling like a vacation
- Shift everything you do from being transactional to transformational
- Aspire for what you want so intensely that the Universe conspires to respond
Final Thoughts
Managing your energy isn’t just about avoiding burnout; it’s about illuminating your leadership qualities and thriving as an impactful leader. It’s about aligning your work with your highest values, maintaining a balanced life, and staying resilient through challenges. To get a deeper perspective into this powerful concept, watch Corporate Sufi Habit #4 – How to Prioritize Personal Energy Management. And while you’re on our Channel, check out our other videos to help you unlock all the secrets of being a Corporate Sufi Leader. Please like, share, and subscribe to stay updated on all our latest insights and releases.