Over the last several months, I have enjoyed reading some books by Jon Gordon, including Training Camp, which I wrote about here.
I also read and enjoyed The Energy Bus, which is about positive energy. Gordon contends …
… positive people, positive communication, positive interactions, and positive work and team cultures produce positive results.
Gordon adds, “and the essential ingredient is positive energy.”
The book is a fable centering around George and a bus driver appropriately named Joy. One morning, while heading out to work, George discovers that his car has a flat tire. He decides to ride the bus to work, and due to a delay at the garage, George ends up riding the bus for a couple of weeks, providing plenty of time to learn ten secrets to positive energy.
Staying positive is a challenge even for the most positive among us. Bad things happen that test us. In Gordon’s story, George is told …
Every flat tire happens for a reason. You can choose to ignore it or ask what that reason is and try to learn from it. … You can choose to see the curse or the gift. And this one choice will determine if your life is a success story or one big soap opera.
Later, Joy tells George …
Every crisis offers an opportunity to grow stronger and wiser; to reach deep within to discover a better you that will create a better outcome. So while this is your crisis, what matters most is what you do with it.
Choosing your attitude is important. When you choose correctly, Joy assures George that “everything and I mean everything will begin to change.”
Joy says “thoughts are magnetic. What we think about, we attract. What we think about expands and grows.” She warns, “when you complain you get more things to complain about.”
One of Joy’s rules states …
You positive energy and vision must be greater than anyone’s and everyone’s negativity. Your certainty must be greater than everyone’s doubt.
Along the way, George finds a mentor in Jack, a wise and seasoned leader, who encourages George to become a Chief Energy Officer.
Deciding to become a Chief Energy Officer means that you share positive, powerful, and contagious energy with your co-workers, employees, and customers!
This is a real challenge for leaders who influence and shape organizational culture. Jack says …
Negative people often tend to create negative cultures whereas positive corporate cultures are created by positive people.
The ultimate takeaway is that we must be intentional about our attitude and energy. We can choose to let situations and other people deplete us or we can choose to take a higher road. And, as people of faith, we have unlimited resources to do so!
To learn more about The Energy Bus, visit theenergybus.com. You may also be interested in The Energy Bus for Kids (see energybuskids.com).