Angela Ahrendts Explains The Power of Human Energy – Legends Report

By James Mills, Mentorship Coach & Associate Partner, Lighthouse International

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
― Maya Angelou

In her role as a Senior Vice President at Apple, Angela Ahrendts is one of the world’s leading executives responsible for leading around 30,000 retail employees in more than 260 Apple stores worldwide. She is also the former CEO of Burberry and during the tenure in her former role, she gave a powerful TEDx Talk about the power of human energy. At the start of her talk, she says that human energy has the power to unite and transform companies, yet it is something that is rarely talked about by leaders and mastered by even fewer! How can we learn from Angela Ahrendts’s experience in a way that enables us to transform our progress?

Here’s Angela Ahrendts powerful 13-minute TEDx Talk she gave in 2013.

Here are some powerful insights about what human energy is, why it’s so important for leaders (and aspiring leaders) to be aware of, and how we can apply this in our own lives.

What Is Human Energy?

“We all emit energy. Very few leaders talk about it and even fewer have mastered it. But when you find it, energy is like discovering your passion – listening to it, exploring it. It’s like this forward-charging spirit; creating challenges and embracing those changes and challenges…

Think of energy like emotional electricity. It has a powerful way of uniting ordinary people – their collective spirit – to do extraordinary things.”

Why Is Human Energy Important For Leaders?

“Every one of you has encountered a certain person, felt like someone is more present, or when you’re around them, you feel more real, more aware, or you’ve walked into an environment or an office when things feel like they’re moving a little faster. For some reason instinctively you’re drawn to it, unconsciously you want to be a part of it, but you can’t really articulate what it is…

Emotive energy transcends normal communication and rational ways of working – it inspires people to do and give more…

I have learned to feel my way through life; personally and professionally. I have learned to listen and hone my instincts; to be perceptive and be receptive, to change, to constantly live in ambiguity. How else can leaders today look around the corner and warn others what’s coming? Only when you follow your instincts and continually renew your mind can your possibilities become realities.”

How Can We Apply This To Our Own Lives?

As Angela Ahrendts stresses, human energy is incredibly important for success in all areas of our lives. With this in mind, it is so important to increase our awareness of the emotional energy we are investing into our environment, as well as the emotions of others. The people who are more aware of their energy are more likely to make a positive impact on others. Here’s a little exercise to help…

Take a few minutes now to note down the energy you would like to bring to others at home and at work. Remember we’re not talking about what you say or do; just the feelings and emotions you want to bring into your world.
Spend the next day recording how you feel through the day – writing your feelings in a journal you may keep with you.
Review your journal at the end of the day and see what you notice about the energy you bring to people, and the situations you encounter on a day-to-day basis.

We look forward to hearing how you get on!

For more articles on Angela Ahrendts, check out this page.

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