After a big win, we often hear the coach talking about the energy their team possessed. Or the CEO of a successful organization speaks of the great intensity and vigor the employees put forth in order to make the quarterly earnings report to shareholders the best in its the company's history.

“The energy in the clubhouse was electric tonight!” a coach or player might say. “Our sales team put together a proposal that will surely land the account we've been after for six months now. I appreciate the energy they put into this effort!” a supervisor announces to the company.

Yet what is energy? Is it science? A cosmic force that we cannot explain?

Energy is one of those words that have multiple definitions. It could apply to an active person, or to usable power, such as a heating source. When a group leader uses the term to describe a positive trait with an organization or team, it's typically to commend everyone for their effort when accomplishing a task or goal. But I find myself asking, “What is real energy?”

In my opinion, the word energy is overused. I constantly hear coaches and business leaders use it, and it appears in books and movies and on advertisement billboards. Yet the people using this term often don't have the slightest clue what it means to have it!

We previously discussed real versus fake toughness and the posturing that athletes sometimes do in order to intimidate their opponents, like the “hold me back” scenario on the 50-yard line at the college football game. I see similarities to that fake toughness when considering fake versus real energy.

Real versus Fake Energy

Fake energy can also be seen as “nervous” energy, such as when a person tries to show everyone how hard they're working, or when a person tries to overcorrect in order to show they know what they're talking about. These people try to flex their dominant personality to impress and motivate others within the organization. Someone with fake energy tends to overprepare and underperform, being unable to calmly handle adversity or invoke crisis-management skills.

In my first few years of coaching at the Division I level, I worked with a colleague who coached another sport in my athletic department and was thought to be a little crazy and out of control. He was the type of person that couldn't sit through a staff meeting, and when he did, he fidgeted or doodled on scrap paper. He talked so fast, it was hard to follow what he was saying. He coached the same way—1,000 miles an hour. I believed he was a bit out of control, in coaching and in his everyday life, but he believed this was what constitutes hard work. He sold himself on outworking everyone and had more energy than his coaching peers. In fact, one day he proclaimed to a group of us that he made coffee nervous.

Yet I always wondered, was he working harder than everyone else? Or was he just wasting time, and energy trying to prove to everyone how hard he was working?

Before you can lead with your voice, you must lead by your actions.

More often than not, employees see right through someone who displays fake energy. Most will recognize the false work ethic and see that this person is not genuine in the energy they are so desperate to exhibit. Ironically, this type of individual tends to burn out quickly. I believe the fake and nervous energy burns through the “stored calories” of real effort and energy, and thus only short-term success is achieved.

Conversely, genuine, sincere energy actually comes from sticking to the principles and values one recognizes as a priority. That is, when a person can focus on a few important values they deem critical, and stick to them with a positive attitude, this demonstrates real energy.

A true leader will be consistent in following the organization's values, sharing ideas and constantly encouraging others to strive forward. They invoke a servant leadership model, and empower others within the group to take risks, learn from their mistakes, and grow. They are the ultimate optimists and they do what they say they will do. They understand what it means to be a grinder and work in a blue-collar way. Yet they don't feel the need to advertise it; rather, they show their value to the group by their actions.

When you possess real energy and demonstrate with actions, this is a vital step in becoming a leader. You let your body of work speak for itself, instead of telling everyone within your group how to do it. When someone talks about how hard they work, or shows off fake energy, it does not speak the volumes one might think it does. Before you can lead with your voice, you must lead by your actions. Real energy can naturally display your positive attitude and core values, because your positivity and attention to these values will clearly demonstrate your dedication. A person with real energy does what they say they will do and doesn't just tell everyone how they will do it.

They focus on the core values the team sets and have a vision just how to stick to them as an individual and with the group. They are willing to take chances and understand that sometimes they will fail.

A person with real energy does what they say they will do and doesn't just tell everyone how they will do it.

True energy people tend to be persistent, stubborn, and high achievers. They don't use excuses or blame luck when it doesn't go their way. They plug away and never give in or give up. They become “doers,” not “sayers.”

Don't Give Up and Don't Be a Lake

It is vital to have real energy to be persistent and consistent. Real energy people will not take no for an answer or fuel themselves from any doubt or negativity from others. They stick to their principles and keep their emotions in check. They know that a roller coaster ride of emotions and constantly changing their principles won't lead to success.

Real energy people stick to their principles and keep their emotions in check.

If you've been around a mountainous setting with a climate that produces snow, or live in the great state of Maine, you know what happens each spring. Melting snow causes an immense amount of water to infiltrate lakes, fields, roadways, and lawns. Native “Mainahs” don't call it spring—it's mud season. Everywhere you go, mud exists. Many lakes and rivers in this region rise so high, they overflow, causing even more mud!

Genuine energy people don't let emotions, attitude, or effort go up and down, like the lakes in mud season throughout Maine. They know how to keep negativity and pessimism from affecting their values.

One particular player I coached was named Ian, who walked onto our team, meaning that he didn't earn a scholarship with our program. But he decided to try out for the last remaining spot on the roster, a spot usually reserved for one of the 30 or so students who wanted to try out for this last position on the team. Ian was from Brooklyn, and was very physical in stature but lacked other skills necessary to be a complete Division I player. He could hit, but defense wasn't his strong suit. In fact, his arm strength was one of the weakest I've coached at this level of baseball.

Yet Ian had heart and an infallible desire to make the roster that year. He worked out by himself, even when he thought no one was watching. In my observation, he was a genuine “doer” not someone trying to show off, but instead leading by action.

So when it came time to make cuts to our roster, I decided Ian would fill our last remaining spot. I told him there were no promises, and he most likely would not even travel with the team that season. I laid out what I thought he needed to improve on, and told him I would work with him as my time permitted.

Ian was persistent and used my evaluation as his motivation. Most people say they have been in this type of situation before, but Ian really did it. He grinded out each and every team workout and improved. Ian proved, not only to himself but to me and the entire team as well, that he could have an impact if called upon during a game situation. He wasn't a “lake” going through ups and downs filled with excuses and emotions.

A week before our first game, at UNLV in Las Vegas, I posted the travel roster, and I made the decision not to take Ian on this trip, leaving him off the list. I told him that although he worked hard, there were a few other players I thought were better at the time to help the team win.

Ian didn't roll his eyes in disgust, slam his fist in frustration, or sulk. Instead, he looked me in the eye and said, “Coach, I got it. You make the decisions best for the team. I will be ready when you ask for me.”

His calm, confident voice made me think that he really believed what he said. He didn't just say those words; he meant it. He had a positive attitude in what was a negative situation for him and showed me what I knew was great energy.

Two days later, another freshman on the team who played the same position as Ian decided to head downtown and take liberties at a local watering hole. Being a freshman, he was under age to be in this establishment. As a result of his indiscretions, he was handed down a four-game suspension that opened up a travel spot the night before we were scheduled to leave for Las Vegas.

I called Ian about 9 p.m. that night and told him to pack his bags because I had decided to take him on the trip. I was expecting him to be emotional, or at least a bit excited.

But Ian just said calmly, “Okay, I'll be ready.”

As the opening weekend went on, and we engaged in a four-game series with UNLV, I didn't play Ian. It wasn't until game three that I looked down the dugout bench in the later innings and saw Ian with his batting helmet and gloves on, bat in hand. He was ready for an at-bat, if I chose to put him in. I decided to call his name and let him hit. Again, Ian showed no emotion, but was focused with real, genuine energy.

He hit a double in his first collegiate at-bat.

The next day, in the final game of the series, I decided to start him. He went 3–4 with 2 doubles at the plate.

Ian never came out of the starting lineup for four years, and earned All-American honors his first year. Today, Ian works in New York City, running a business and continues to “grind” it out, with real energy, better than most. Ian was not a lake during Maine's mud season. He stayed full, because he had real energy, with a positive attitude.

Optimistic or Embellishment?

Being a leader can be quite difficult, especially when you're in a negative environment or around pessimistic people. Staying positive in gloomy situations at the workplace or in everyday life is an essential characteristic of the best leaders. I believe it's the very toughest thing to do when you navigate the challenges leadership brings.

Every day, I try to bring a positive attitude that reflects my definition of real energy. I hope my attitude will be contagious and rub off on those around me, whether players, fellow coaches, or co-workers. I believe my energy can “energize” others.

However, I've noticed something when it comes to real energy and having an optimistic approach to daily challenges. Some may believe you are not optimistic at all, but rather one who embellishes, inflates, or exaggerates. You become labeled a “bullshitter” or a “used car salesman.” These negative Nellies don't view you as someone who always looks for the good in a situation—the glass half full. They are fueled by jealousy and negativity, wanting you to fail. Unfortunately, their pessimistic views differ from your overly optimistic approach, which drives them to think you embellish.

This is something that happens to me all the time. I think of my situation a few years ago as Division I college baseball coach at UMaine. Mind you, the college baseball season is played February till late May—not the best weather to be outside at one of the northernmost universities in the country.

My takeaway was always this: what a great opportunity to travel, see other places, and bond as a team. Also, how many of our opponents are tough enough to travel for three months straight, not playing a home game for the first 30 contests on the schedule. We had an opportunity to prove we were tougher than everybody else!

I can say I truly believed this, and had no room to surround myself with others who didn't see the opportunity we had, as opposed to the negative backlash that someone might think. Looking back now from my Florida office overlooking the stadium one 70-degree December day, I wondered, “What was I thinking!?” Yet I believed there was good to come from a not-so-good situation. You just need to know how to dig deep and find it.

I can assure you, those who will call you an embellisher just don't have the ability to have real energy or possess a positive outlook when dealt difficult situations. In fact, a major factor is jealousy. The negative Nellies who rain on your parade really are jealous that they don't possess the ability to be like you! Their name calling and negativity is their defense mechanism to cover their own poor attitude.

Although people use the word energy in many ways to describe a person, it has defining personality traits. Those who have the ability to show real energy are the ultimate optimists. They have a positive outlook in every situation, no matter how good or bad. Their true toughness is their ability to follow core values they set, allowing them to give off a vibe of infectious energy.

Although “energy” can be used in many ways to describe a person, it clearly has defining traits that are present in one's personality and can help those possessing it to become stronger leaders.