Recognizing Energy in Action: A Leader’s Field Guide

Why Energy Awareness Matters

Your GC Index results highlight where you naturally make your biggest impact—your proclivities. But that’s just the starting point. The real shift happens when you notice those energy patterns in real time—for yourself and for the people you lead.

When you can spot what’s energizing and what’s draining, you can:

• Align work to strengths

• Boost engagement

• Improve performance

• Channel energy to create meaningful impact

How to Observe Energy in Action

Building energy awareness starts with sharpening your observation skills. Here’s what to look for:

1. Look for body language clues

   • High energy: animated gestures, upright posture, leaning in, speaking with more pace and expression.

   • Low energy: slouched posture, less eye contact, minimal engagement in discussion.

     
     

2. Listen for language shifts

   • High energy: “I can’t wait to try…”, “I’ve got an idea…”, “What if we…?”

   • Low energy: “I’ll get it done…”, “We always do it this way…”, “It’s fine.”

     
     

3. Track time perception

   • High energy: Time seems to fly; they lose themselves in the work.

   • Low energy: Time drags; they check the clock often or procrastinate before starting.

     
     

4. Notice initiation vs. avoidance

   • High energy: Volunteering for certain types of work, offering to take the lead.

   • Low energy: Delaying, delegating away, or staying quiet in related discussions.

     
     

5. Ask the simple check-in question

   After a task or meeting, ask:

“On a scale from 1–10, how energized did you feel doing that?”

Over time, you’ll see patterns that reveal natural strengths and energy drains.

Tip: Keep a quick energy log for one week—just a few words each day on what gave you and your team energy vs. drained it. Review on Friday to spot trends and make small adjustments.

Connecting Observations to GC Index Proclivities

When you start spotting energy highs and lows, you’re really seeing each person’s natural way of contributing at their best. The GC Index gives you the language for these proclivities—here’s how to recognize them in action and direct that energy toward meaningful impact.

Proclivity	High-Energy Signs	Low-Energy Signs	Leader’s Action
Game Changer Visionary who brings bold, transformative ideas	Excited by big-picture ideas, brainstorming future possibilities	Bored with routine, resistant to incremental tweaks	Invite them early to shape vision and strategy
Strategist Planner who maps the path to the vision	Engaged in planning, loves connecting the dots	Drained by unclear direction or constant changes	Involve them in mapping the “how” and “why”
Implementer Doer who delivers tangible results	Energized by making progress and seeing tangible outcomes	Frustrated by endless discussion or lack of closure	Break goals into deliverables and celebrate milestones
Polisher Perfectionist who strives for excellence	Lights up when refining or improving something to excellence	Unmotivated by “good enough” or rushed delivery	Allow time to refine and perfect key outputs
Play Maker Connector who builds trust and collaboration	Thrives in group problem-solving and relationship building	Disengaged in isolated or purely transactional work	Give them facilitation roles and opportunities to connect people

3 Ways to Use These Insights to Lead Yourself

• Self-Calibration: Notice when you default to your strongest proclivity and pause to check if it’s the right fit for the moment.

• Energy Management: Structure your week so high-energy work gets your prime attention, and low-energy tasks are batched, delegated, or reframed.

• Growth Edge Awareness: Identify situations where you avoid certain work due to low energy—these may be opportunities for deliberate skill-building or collaborating with others with complementary proclivities.

  
  

3 Ways to Use These Insights to Lead Others

• Task Matching: Assign work based on where individuals’ energy naturally peaks to maximize engagement and outcomes.

• Development Planning: Use low-energy patterns as cues for skill development, mentoring, or pairing with others who thrive in that area.

• Team Balance: Ensure you have a mix of proclivities across projects so you’re not over-relying on one type of energy.

Why It Matters

When you understand and apply your energy for impact, you gain a practical advantage—you can assign work more effectively, prevent burnout, and focus effort where it delivers the biggest results.

But it’s more than efficiency.

Working in your energy zone—and helping others do the same—creates a space where people feel alive in their work, connected to their purpose, and capable of making a real difference. That’s where performance meets possibility.