Get On the Energy Bus!
The science teacher turned to the maths teacher and said, “Today has been a nightmare. Teaching Andreas is such a challenge.”
The maths teacher was confused, “Andreas?” she asked, “I teach him as well, and most of the time he’s well-behaved in my class.”
“Then please tell me your secret to dealing with him,” begged her colleague, before revealing, “To stop him talking and disrupting the class, I’ve tried making him sit alone in the corner but no matter how many times I shout at him, make him write lines, and tell him that he needs to change his bad-boy attitude, he still misbehaves. I don’t know what to do with him.”
Sensing something, the maths teacher set her coffee cup down and said, “Well, in each and every lesson of mine, I make sure to seat Andreas next to a well-behaved classmate. I ask him questions on order to get him involved and interested and then listen to his input and encourage him to contribute. He has even shown, on many occasions, a keen interest in the subject.”
It was obvious to her that she and her colleague were dealing with two different versions of Andreas — one positive and one bordering on negative — mainly because of the type of energy that they themselves were exuding.
In his book “The Energy Bus,” the American thought leader and consultant Jon Gordon outlines the importance of fuelling yourself — and others — with positive energy. Practising positivity, he says, helps imbue the people around you with the same energy, be they colleagues, family members, students or even strangers, and fosters a desire to return that positivity through their actions (or, in the case of Andreas, their reactions).
The science teacher had evidently fuelled his relationship with Andreas with negative energy, making the atmosphere combative from the start. Conversely, the maths teacher encouraged the boy, neutralising any negative energy that he was bringing into the lesson with her own enthusiasm. As Gordon says, “Your positive energy and vision must be greater than everyone’s negativity and your certainty must be greater than everybody’s doubt.”
This applies in the workplace too. Employees and team-mates are only human and may sometimes let negativity dominate both their thoughts and attitudes. As a leader, it’s important to exude positivity towards them and the job at hand. If, like Jon Gordon, you believe that positivity brings a competitive advantage to an organisation, it’s time to get on the Energy Bus and prove it!
Words of Wisdom
“Correction does much, but encouragement does more.”
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
A Question to Ponder, dear friend.
“Have you been influenced by the positive energy of a teacher, a colleague or a friend? Tell me about it!”
Hit reply and let me know.
Best Regards,
Michael R. Virardi
