The first time I realised that leadership was less about intelligence and more about energy, I was standing in a High Tech Company in Switzerland, watching an exhausted team half-heartedly push through a system redesign. They were a mix of German and French-speaking Swiss. Their English-speaking Canadian CEO had just delivered what could only be described as a technical monologue—precise, correct, and completely devoid of spark. Very interesting if you are English-speaking maybe.

As the staff trudged back to their workstations, one whispered to me, “He knows everything, but he makes us feel nothing. I didn’t even follow his body-language and no eye contact ever.”

That was the moment it clicked: a leader doesn’t just direct the work—he or she sets the tempo and the coherency of the entire company system. The ENERGY was lacking. The national cultural differences between these three cultural groups need to be considered. If language and culture is not delivered with sufficient energy and with cultural sensitivity, misunderstandings arise easily and even the smartest leader will have to tread very carefully but decisively.

I’ve seen this play out repeatedly: energy doesn’t just cascade from the top—it radiates. Not as caffeine-fuelled enthusiasm, but as clarity, conviction, excitement and contagious engagement.

The CEO’s energy—especially when things go wrong—defines whether people lean in or back away. Whether they engage creatively or comply passively. Whether your culture becomes resilient—or reluctant. This isn’t charisma. It’s presence and intentionality.

Many organisations spend enormous energy defining strategy—but forget to animate it. Staff cannot absorb a PDF or a glossy above each desk. They absorb signals. 

True strategic leadership isn’t just defining the direction—it’s being its living amplifier.

When I coach senior leaders, I ask not only about what they’re working on—but how they’re showing up. A tired leader might be justified. But they are still signalling lack of energy. And your people will calibrate their energy to their leader’s. 

You are not just the Chief Executive. CEO stands for: Chief Energy Officer. Because in the end, people don’t follow spreadsheets. They follow strong signals.

Smart Questions to think about:

Prompt 1: If your organisation’s energy levels were to remain consistent for the next couple of years, based solely on your leadership tone—what would the long-term outcome be?

Prompt 2: How might you redesign your daily leadership rhythms to cultivate a sustainable and scalable source of organisational vitality?