There is a persistent assumption in organisations that when progress stalls, the answer is to add more. A new strategy, another process, more capability, more pressure. In my experience, most organisations are not held back by a lack of talent, ambition or opportunity. More often, a lot is already happening, but somehow not enough is moving forward.
People are working hard and agendas are full, but priorities compete for attention and it is not always clear what matters most. New initiatives are added to existing workloads, decisions become reactive and leaders find themselves getting involved in more and more.
This is where I believe it is worth looking at what is already there before adding something new.
Are we clear enough about what we are trying to achieve? Have we made real choices about our priorities? Do people know what they own and have the space to act on it? And do the way we work and the meetings we have actually help us move forward?
These questions may sound straightforward, but the answers often aren't.
Throughout my career, I have been most energised by working at the point where strategy, performance and people come together. Because having a good strategy is one thing. Creating the clarity, ownership and way of working that turns it into results is something else.
I have seen organisations with talented and committed people struggle to make progress, not because people weren't working hard enough, but because too much energy was going in too many different directions.
And I have seen what happens when that changes. When people understand where the organisation is going, what matters most and how their work contributes, it becomes easier to make decisions and take ownership. When progress becomes visible, it creates confidence and energy to keep moving. That is the thinking behind Energy Perspective.
I work alongside founders, leadership teams and organisations to bring clarity to what they are trying to achieve and help translate that into priorities, ownership and action.
What that looks like depends on the organisation and the situation. Sometimes the starting point is strategy. Sometimes it is a leadership team that needs to be aligned. And sometimes the strategy is perfectly clear, but the challenge is turning it into something people can actually execute.
I don't believe organisations always need more.
Most of the time the biggest difference comes from getting much clearer about what is already there, what really matters and what is getting in the way.
Because when a lot is happening, but too little is moving forward, asking people to work harder is rarely the answer.
Creating clarity on where to focus their energy most probably is.