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FORMS OF ENERGY AND THE HELIOTROPIC EFFECT

The rapidly changing and unpredictable environment being experienced by much of the world’s population might accurately be described as “VUCA,” an acronym coined by the U.S. military that refers to volatile, un-certain, complex, and ambiguous conditions. Varying directions from national leaders and organizations, contradictory scientific findings, and a barrage of social media advice for how to cope with the anxiety, stress, and apprehension have often produced more confusion than clarity. In such circumstances, an important principle becomes ever more relevant: In order to effectively manage turbulent circumstances, we must identify something that is stable, universal, and constant.

Consider the case of John Kennedy Jr., the son of the 35th president of the United States. John was flying his private plane from New Jersey to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts when the conditions became dark and cloudy. He had been trained to fly by sight navigation but not by instrumentation through conditions of invisibility. He ended up flying the plane into the ocean, killing himself, his wife, and her sister. He had not known he was headed toward water. When the plane’s black box was recovered, it was discovered that he had actually been accelerating toward the ocean, erroneously assuming he’d been climbing in altitude.

When everything in the environment is changing, it is impossible to effectively manage the circumstances, especially over the long term. Something must be constant or immovable in order for us to navigate change effectively. If we are sitting in the middle of one of the Great Lakes on a dark, cloudy night and asked to point north, we have a very low probability of getting it right. Something must be stable and constant (e.g., the stars or the shore) in order to navigate.

What, then, does not change in the long run? How can we navigate VUCA environments? Many things remain constant over time, of course, but one of the most important and universally consistent factors is the human inclination toward positive energy. In nature, the sun is a source of life-giving energy. If we put a plant in the window, over time it will lean toward the light. This is an example of the heliotropic effect. It is most accurately described this way: All living systems are inclined toward or attracted to that which is life-giving—toward positive energy—and are disinclined toward or avoid that which is life-depleting or life-endangering. All human beings flourish in the presence of positive energy and languish in the presence of negative energy, or they orient themselves toward that which is life-giving and away from that which is life-depleting.¹

In nature, positive energy is most often experienced in the form of sunlight—photosynthesis occurs only in the presence of light—but positive energy may occur in other forms as well (e.g., interpersonal kindness, high-quality connections, virtuous actions).² Logically this makes sense. If we consider evolutionary processes, we observe that every species over time is attracted to that which enhances life and avoids or is repelled by that which diminishes or detracts from life.

This principle has enormous implications. It affects the way we rear our children, the type of incentive systems we put in place in our organizations, the kinds of relationships we form with our employees and acquaintances, and the behaviors we demonstrate in turbulent and trying times. Because it is universal and unwavering, the heliotropic effect provides a constant anchor by which we can navigate changing conditions.

The remainder of this chapter provides an explanation of the heliotropic effect and some of the empirical evidence that confirms its importance and universality in human beings. The concept of positive energy, and, in particular, the kind of energy that is associated with effective leadership, is then explained.

THE HELIOTROPIC EFFECT

The heliotropic effect and the phototropic effect are similar. Both describe a tendency of all living things to orient themselves toward light—or toward life-giving energy. Einstein equated light and energy by stating that light is simply nature’s way of transferring energy through space.³ Florence Nightingale famously stated, “It is the unqualified result of all my experience with the sick, that second only to their need for fresh air is their need of light … and it is not only light but direct sun-light that they want.… People think that the effect is upon their spirits only. This is by no means the case. The sun is not only a painter but a sculptor.”⁴ Abundant scientific evidence confirms that human beings orient themselves toward light and that light provides life-giving energy.

This empirical evidence comes from a variety of sources. The phenomenon was first studied in 1832 by A.P. de Candolle and then by Charles Darwin and George John Romanes in the 1890s. They limited their studies primarily to plants and mammals.⁵ Studies of insects as well as a wide variety of forms of animal life subsequently demonstrated that these species also universally orient themselves toward light.⁶ This tendency is explained by an innate photochemical reaction that exists in living creatures at the cellular level.⁷

For example, when light enters the eye and hits the retina and the rod and cone cells within it, the light is converted to electrical energy, which produces a visual experience.⁸ This energy is transmitted to cells in the brain called the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SNC), which regulates our biological clock. The SNC is part of the hypothalamus, and together they regulate hunger, thirst, sleep, hormones, and the nervous system.⁹

Light turns on chemical reactions within all living organisms, and so our bodies are dependent on light for life-giving energy.¹⁰ These same sensitivities to light exist within the individual cells and proteins in our own bodies. Research has shown that our bodies are filled with numerous light-sensitive chemical switches and amplifiers.¹¹ Even single-cell organisms without eyes have light-sensitive molecules on their outer membranes that supply them with energy. Human encounters with light, however, are more than skin-deep, and the human body is not a darkened cavern. Instead, light plays an important role within the body.

For example, cytochrome explains how lasers can heal so many different conditions. Cytochrome converts light from the sun into energy for the cells. Most of the photons are absorbed by the energy powerhouses within the cells—the mitochondria—so that as the sun’s photons pass through the membranes and come in contact with the cytochrome, they are absorbed and stimulate the creation of a molecule that stores energy in our cells. This molecule, called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), is like a battery, providing energy for the cell’s work. ATP can also provide energy that is used by the immune systems and for cellular repair, increase the use of oxygen, improve blood circulation, and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.¹²

Michael Hamblin at the Harvard Medical School has produced scores of studies showing how light not only produces life-giving energy for the body but also can be used to destroy cancer cells, repair athletic injuries, overcome traumatic brain injury, treat dementia, and promote significant wound healing.¹³

This relationship between light and the heliotropic effect was known by the ancients, and Egyptian, Greek, Indian, and Buddhist healers all used systematic exposure to the sun to foster healing. It was rediscovered in 2005, for example, that putting patients recovering from surgery in a sunlit room (as opposed to an artificially lit room) significantly decreased their pain. Exposure to full-spectrum light was found to be as effective as medication for some depressed patients, with fewer side effects.¹⁴

Moreover, light has been found to be the key factor in regulating the human body’s circadian system, or the internal clock that keeps the body synchronized with the 24-hour solar day. The circadian system is responsible for a range of bodily functions and for regulating key hormones, including those that control sleep (melatonin), hunger (leptin), and the ability to feel satiated (grenhlin). Disrupted circadian rhythms lead to poor sleep and to a variety of diseases such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and a number of cancers.¹⁵ Physiologically speaking, evidence suggests that human beings are dependent on and are inherently inclined toward light and toward the resultant positive energy to thrive. The heliotropic effect explains why human beings are so affected by positive energy.

FORMS OF ENERGY

In addition to its connection with light, positive energy is also a product of other sources. My colleague Wayne Baker has published an excellent summary of the energy literature in which he discusses several different kinds of energy.¹⁶ Energy, he suggests, has been used synonymously with a variety of similar concepts such as arousal, positive affect, zest, and vitality. He indicates that in physics, biology, and chemistry, energy is defined as the capacity to do work, and this designation has been applied to human behavior as well. Energy has traditionally been equated with the capacity to do work.

Colleagues Ryan Quinn, Gretchen Spreitzer, and Chak Fu Lam differentiated the capacity to do work, however, from another form of energy that is not necessarily related to taking action.¹⁷ They classified energy as being in one of two forms: (1) activation potential, or the capacity to do work, and (2) energetic stimulation, or the feeling of aliveness, enthusiasm, and vitality.

The first form of energy—activation potential—is associated with the amount of glucose/glycogen and ATP in the body.¹⁸ This form of energy is a resource that may be increased or depleted. A great deal of advertising, for example, focuses on helping people feel more energized by working out on exercise equipment, eating a healthy diet, losing weight, taking nutritional supplements, and so forth. Usually, this form of energy diminishes as it is expended. Someone who runs a marathon will become fatigued and will need recovery time. Physical energy wanes.

Similarly, someone who engages in an argument, cheers at an athletic contest, or gets reprimanded by a boss will deplete his or her emotional energy. A break is most often needed in order to recover. Emotional energy is reduced with its expenditure over time.

Someone who studies all weekend for an exam, intensely concentrates on memorizing difficult material, and works to figure out a complex computational problem will become exhausted and will need some time to recuperate. Mental energy diminishes over time with use. Each of these types of energy—physical, emotional, and mental—is an example of the first form of energy: activation potential. They are resources that diminish with use because glucose/glycogen and ATP become depleted as they are expended.

The second form of energy—energetic stimulation—is not an accumulated resource but a state of being or a feeling of affective arousal. It is experienced as inspired emotions and positive feelings.¹⁹ Relational energy is an example of this second form of energy. Relational energy refers to the energy that is associated with interpersonal interactions. Unlike other forms of energy, it usually elevates or intensifies when it is exhibited. For example, we seldom become exhausted by being around people with whom we have loving, supportive relationships. We are seldom, if ever, depleted by people with whom we have trusting, caring, tender connections. In fact, we often seek out individuals who love us and whom we love in order to become renewed and energized. In other words, relational energy is self-enhancing and self-renewing.

A variety of studies demonstrate that experiencing positive relational energy lengthens life, and that people are two to four times more likely to die at an earlier age if they do not consistently experience relational energy.²⁰ Positive relational energy is a better predictor of long-term health and mortality than factors such as smoking, excessive drinking, and obesity.²¹

Employees’ performance at work is also significantly enhanced by relational energy because individuals are more likely to seek out and share information and resources with positive energizers. Positive relational energy is also effective in increasing the performance of individual employees when it is demonstrated by leaders.²² In addition, it is the kind of energy that differentiates especially effective leaders from others. Successful leaders are almost always positive energizers.

One reason positive relational energy is so important for leaders is aptly described by a friend, Toshi Harada, who serves as a senior executive in the world’s largest wheel manufacturer. Toshi is a strong advocate of positive relational energy in leadership. Here is his explanation of its importance:

One of the basics of Japanese manufacturing principles is to eliminate or minimize the waste in the manufacturing process. What I’m finding is that negatively energizing leaders are creating significant waste in the organization. For example, think of a traveler on the street in the winter of Michigan. If a cold wind blows to the traveler, he wears more clothes on [sic]. And, when negative leaders try to create results by pointing out the weaknesses of the people and rely on punishment, a similar thing happens. People are going to close their minds. So, negatively energizing leaders can reach some short-term results. But when the team members close their minds, those short-term oriented results cannot be sustained. So it’s going to be a roller coaster—up and down, up and down. In order for us to have long-term sustaining improvement, we really need to have positive energizing leaders.²³

Positive energy, in other words, is both efficient and effective in producing desirable results when demonstrated by leaders.

Individuals do not express these various types of energy in a completely independent way, of course. In many activities, individuals may demonstrate several kinds of energy at the same time. A caregiver who homeschools and organizes activities for children all day during a COVID-19 isolation period, for example, may find these tasks physically and emotionally exhausting. More than one kind of energy will be expended and diminished at the same time. However, when these same children snuggle up for a bedtime story at the end of the day, the elevation in relational energy creates renewal. Relational energy is a self-enhancing energetic stimulation.

ENERGY, INFLUENCE, EXTROVERSION, AND INTRINSIC MOTIVATION

In the scholarly literature, positive energy is sometimes confused with other concepts such as influence, extroversion, or intrinsic motivation.²⁴ Important differences exist, however, among these various concepts. For instance, influence is usually defined in terms of the ability to get other people to do or believe what you want them to do or believe.²⁵ The vast majority of the leadership literature equates leadership and influence. If you are influential, it means you are a leader. People will follow others who are influential. The difference between influence and energy, however, can be illustrated by a situation in which two individuals are influential and two individuals are positive energizers.

When two highly influential people disagree, the likely consequence is conflict. Both will want to influence the other. Of the more than 40 wars currently being fought on the planet, all are, essentially, struggles to determine who will be in control or who is the most influential. Differences among influencers will almost always lead to competition or conflict. Managing the dynamics associated with influence, therefore, is almost always similar to managing power, conflict, or rivalry.

On the other hand, when two people who are positive energizers disagree, the consequence will be quite different. Because positive energy is heliotropic, the two individuals are much more likely to work together or try to interact more frequently. Positive energy attracts them to one another rather than having them strive to be in control of the other or to be the person in charge. Interactions and attempts at collaboration will most likely increase. Managing positive energizers in an organization, therefore, is quite different from managing influencers. Managing energy is more likely to focus on facilitating collaboration. Managing influence is more likely to focus on conflict resolution.

Positive energy is also sometimes confused with extroversion. Extroverts are individuals who are outgoing, talkative, social, and lively. The opposite of an extrovert is an introvert—someone who is quiet, reserved, calm, and passive. Energizers are often merely seen as the extroverts in the room and difficult not to notice.

Empirical evidence suggests, however, that extroversion and positive energy are not the same. Extroversion is only slightly related to individual well-being and personal satisfaction, for example, unless accompanied by positive energy. In fact, the correlation between extroversion and positive relational energy is very low and nonsignificant.²⁶ Positive energy is strongly related to well-being. Extroverts can be dominating and exhausting rather than energizing and uplifting. They can merely take up time and attention while not helping other people feel energized at all. The research indicates, in fact, that when extroverts are also positive energizers, the correlation with well-being and personal satisfaction is very strong. This is not the case when positive energy is absent.²⁷

We all know individuals who are not the first to speak, not out front in every activity, or not clamoring for attention but who give life to the system, uplift others around them, and are described as more introverted than extroverted. Positively energizing people are not the same as extroverted people, because positive energy is not a personality variable. Introverted people can be as positively energizing as extroverts.

Some have also assumed that positive energy is merely intrinsic motivation. This concept refers to a desire to act without the pursuit of an external reward or recognition.²⁸ Intrinsically motivated individuals are driven by an internal sense of satisfaction, meaningfulness, or learning. Intrinsically motivated people pursue goals merely to attain a sense of achievement. Extrinsically motivated individuals pursue goals to obtain a reward or recognition from others. They rely on an external incentive to motivate their effort.

Positive energy—particularly positive relational energy—is not a product of motivational forces but refers to the extent to which a relationship is elevating, uplifting, and enriching. So, positive relational energy is both a social phenomenon and an individual phenomenon: it is social in that it results from relationships, and it is personal in that it is experienced as an internal feeling or sentiment. Positive energy is not a motivational drive but a condition at which individuals arrive. It results from human connection, not the presence or absence of a reward. Positive energy may or may not be associated with meaningfulness, which is a key attribute of intrinsic motivation.

CONCLUSION

A key purpose of this book is to identify ways to help leaders increase and enhance positive relational energy. Abundant scientific research makes a compelling case that the most effective leaders, and the leaders who best demonstrate positively energizing practices, produce extraordinarily high performance in their organizations and in their employees. Displaying positive energy produces high levels of performance in organizations because employees tend to be more engaged in their work, are more likely to associate their work with a sense of calling, are more likely to experience personal well-being, and are more likely to display innovation and extra-mile discretionary effort at work.²⁹ In schools, students whose teachers display positive relational energy experience more academic gains than students whose teachers do not display this energy.³⁰

The chapters that follow explain how these outcomes occur, how to foster positive relational energy, and how positive energy has been used to produce extraordinarily successful performance in a variety of organizational settings, especially in times characterized by VUCA conditions.